Fourteen-year-old Sam Snyder thinks he is going on a short vacation to visit his godfather. Instead, his adoptive mother drops him off at a Baptist reform school in the backwoods of Missouri. Surrounded by razor-wire fences, violent at-risk youth, and oppressive staff, he quickly realizes that he's not in California anymore.

Between fistfights, fire-and-brimstone sermons, and falling in love with a girl that he's never even spoken to, Sam struggles to keep his unbridled tongue and teenage lust in check in hopes of an early release.

But when Will--the new kid--is brutally punished, rumors of an escape plan begin to circulate. Sam must decide if he'll join the group of boys who want to take matters into their own hands.

How far will he go to find salvation?