Includes reader's guide.

Veteran social worker Ellen Moore has seen the worst side of humanity--the vilest acts one person can commit against another. She is a gifted children's advocate and a devoted mother and wife. But one blistering summer day, a simple moment of distraction will have greater ramifications than Ellen could have ever imagined, threatening to shatter everything she holds dear, and trapping her between the gears of the system she works for. Meanwhile, ten-year-old Jenny Briard has been living with her well-meaning but deadbeat father since her mother left them, sleeping on friends' couches and moving in and out of cheap motels. When Jenny suddenly finds herself on her own, she is forced to survive with nothing but a few dollars and her street smarts. The last thing she needs is a social worker, but when Ellen's and Jenny's lives collide, little do they know just how much they can help one another.