Her mother was murdered. Her father vowed revenge. She grew up in the shadow of his anger, afraid. Always afraid. Then her rescuer came along and pulled her out of the mud of the train yard and set her under the hot, dazzling lights of a stage. But would her savior be the reason for her ultimate downfall? Cherry Winslow escapes an abusive father by marrying an indifferent husband, Gideon. Still, Cherry is determined to be the best wife she can in the leaky one-room shack they called home. Her claim to that shack is terminated when Gideon initiates a chain of events that culminates in Cherry being tossed out into the wet. Cherry's life whirls out of focus as she is forced to do what she's never had to do before-make real decisions all by herself. Her days are filled with excitement when she starts working in an underground speakeasy and she stumbles into clumsy love with the owner, Regan Derry. Regan soon proves he is no savior and, for the first time, Cherry has the chance to save herself. But can she build her future before she is destroyed by her past?