Suddenly she was alone. Would Merin beat the odds against being left alone at the tender age of 8? How could a little girl get by amidst poverty, her interfering aunt, hiding a morbid childhood secret, and the unwelcome nighttime visits of her foster father? Merin was tough. She would survive. But who was trying to destroy everything Merin had worked for? Would she recover from a devastating fire? Who was that gorgeous familiar-looking young man? In a whirlwind of foster parents, sexual abuse, love, and starting over and over again what kind of woman would she become? Merin was determined to find out. She was tough. She would survive.