Kay Bachmann leaps into her freshman year of college, eager to start fresh and be the girl she's always wanted to be. She meets Carter, who falls for her like a skydiver with a busted parachute. He sweeps her away in a whirlwind romance, and before Kay can think straight, they're going on dates. But when Kay discovers a family secret, she starts looking at the relationship in a whole new light. And it's not pretty.

Then she meets her old friend Wyatt again - who she's loved desperately for so long. Kay tries to break free of Carter, but he raises the emotional ante and attempts suicide right in front of her. That act pulls her right back to his side.

Kay knows she cannot stay with Carter. She knows that his next attempt may be fatal. But she wants, above all, to live her life on her own terms - not on somebody else's.