Astrid Hofferson's father is abusive. After a while, her mother gets strong enough to leave him and takes Astrid with her. Months past and her mom begins to date again, only for the man to become abusive. Astrid grows up to start liking and dating bad boys and she allows them to hurt her, because that's all she's ever really seen a guy do. She attends a new school after moving into a new house with her mom and settling in. She meets a boy named Hiccup and thinks, 'Why would he be any different?'