When Charlie gets away from his drug dealing father and is sent to live with his grandparents, things aren't suddenly okay. Charlie's broken. He's not sure he ever wasn't broken. When things get unbearable, the only thing that helps Charlie feel grounded is music. What can he do when he runs out of batteries for his old walkman? At school crowds of people gather to watch Travis perform, but when he goes home his only company is his cat. He escaped his abusive parents, but now he lives with his older brother who is usually away working. Will the strange, quiet boy he finds sitting on his porch trying to listen in on his music put an end to his loneliness?

Ethan tries to leave one life for another: probable death for a possible life. But what he leaves behind doesn't necessarily want to let him go. Shackles from the past bind his wrists while promises of a better life scare the hell out of him. How could someone possibly want him to be a part of their life and their family? What he thought was his chance for salvation, in the form of the firm roles of a BDSM relationship, proves to be a very different story altogether. Marc Matthews, a Dom at a local club, turns Ethan's life upside down without the help of a whip. While Matthews tugs at his heart, Ethan remains determined to raise the walls inside his chest to protect what is left of a hollow existence.