When Alison's mother died in a car crash when she was fourteen, her family was never the same. And to Alison, the damage seemed irreparable. Her father turned to alcohol and over-working himself, while all the responsibilities seemed to fall to her. Everything Alison knew faded, and eventually, all of her relationships with the people she was close to began to wither until they no longer existed. Fast forward a few years. Alison is now 18, and she's just graduated, but with her dad spending all of their money, he's put them in a serious amount of debt, and she's forced to put off college until she can afford it. One day, Alison runs into Luke, her childhood friend, Carrie's, older brother, and learns that he's moving back home for a while. Unbeknownst to Ali, Luke is back for other reasons than just wanting to take some time off of school. And then there's her friend Erik who is suddenly the most confusing person in the world; he just can't seem to make up his mind. All Alison wants to do is go to school and start over, but life has other plans.