Hope, born in the beautiful West Indian Island of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, is the eldest child of Princeton and Grace, who live in a common-law relationship. Hope witnesses betrayal from a very young age, as she sees her father betray her mom repeatedly with other women. Hope was a victim of physical and sexual abuse as a child, and it follows her into adulthood, being treated poorly by the people she should trust.

As Hope grows older and struggles through many heartbreaks, she finally realizes that the love of her life was always there, hidden in plain view. As Hope looks back at her life and at where she is today, she concludes: "What should have killed me made me stronger."