In the novel, Dawson Cole returns to his hometown for the first time after twenty years to fulfill the last wishes of his dear friend and surrogate father, Tuck Hostetler.

As a child, Dawson tries to stay within the boundaries of the law and is repeatedly beaten and abused by most of his family, more specifically his father Tommy Cole and two older cousins, Abee and Crazy Ted.

When he was sixteen years old, Dawson left his father's home and began living in the garage of a local mechanic, Tuck Hostetler.

Late in his teens, Dawson became lab partners with Amanda Collier, the daughter of a prominent family.

They soon fell in love and began dating for about a year and a half, despite the tension this caused between Amanda and her parents.

Dawson's father Tommy died from an overdose of alcohol poisoning, and the authorities began to keep a closer eye on the Coles.

The following day, Amanda and Dawson visit Tuck's lawyer and learn that they are to scatter his ashes at a cabin he owned with his wife.

As Crazy Ted sneaks up to Tuck's, Dawson sees the same man he saw the day of the oil rig explosion and chases him through the woods.

In retaliation for his failed attempt to kill Dawson, Crazy Ted recruits the help of his older brother Abee, who was planning his own revenge against Dr. Bonner's son Alan for dating his girlfriend Candy, a pretty young bartender.

Amanda and Frank have repaired their damaged marriage, though it was no longer romantic or casual as it was years prior.

She hugs him close and tells him she loves him, which is meant for both her son and for Dawson, whose heart is beating inside.

[2] According to Denise Garofalo, 'it transforms into a predictable yet depressing tale that is rushed and transparent and that suffers from cliche and a somewhat anticlimactic ending'.