This is a true story of a small girl born in a home where she experiences one disaster after another. Growing up in a family of five children and three adults, one of which is her mother's lover, she suffers third degree burns on her upper body, boil infections, a dog bite to the jugular vein, and a severed toe before she was five years old. However, she perseveres and develops an "I can do anything" attitude which results in over achieving every task she undertakes. This is due to the love and support from a foster mother who takes Betty and Barbara into her home. The story is filled with tragedy, comedy, and warmth and gives an insight into how kids survive in poverty and how schools can many times work against them.