When Kate Standish begins the new school year, she has one goal - to pretend the presence of her ex-husband doesn't bother her. What she doesn't expect is a new assignment, or for that assignment to be mentoring struggling students. Absorbed in her own loss, Kate resents having to deal with kids who are deliberately failing, until she realizes that their failure may be a symptom of bigger problems.As the school year unfolds, Kate embarks on a mission to save these kids, not realizing that she herself may need to be saved.