Beth’s sister Lyddie is so angry over the separation that she leaves home and, contrary to the moral code of the religion she and Beth were raised in, moves in with her boyfriend Evan. This alienates Beth from the one ally and confidante Beth depended on when her parents’ separation got ugly.

Kyle returns from rehab, but begins drinking again immediately with tragic consequences that instead of bringing Beth’s family closer together pull them farther apart.

Along with the stresses of family life, Beth has to navigate the confusing teenage world of high school, hormones, boys and friends. She meets a boy name Nate Galvie whom she finds very attractive, but is concerned that she’ll be unable to control their physical relationship and reach her goal of staying a virgin until she’s married. This, however, becomes the least of Beth worries when she find out that Nate is following an all too familiar road to drug addiction. Beth also begins to question the relationship with her friends when events in her life lead her to question what true friendship is.

As the year goes on Beth realizes that people, life and even herself aren’t nearly as simple as she believed them to be. Instead of seeing things in black and white, Beth realizes that most things are actually made up of infinite shades of grey.