It was the summer of 1993. Denver was hit with a spike in gang violence, which woke up the typically sleepy state of Colorado. That summer forever changed the laws and the state began to charge 14 year olds as adults, while others passed the Three Strikes Law. But, our hero, Naomi didn’t know much about it. She’d spent four years in college in Boulder and getting to Denver to pursue her poetry was the first step to living her life on her own terms. Cut off from her father’s money, this suburbanite finds herself living in the middle of a gang infested neighborhood. She pushes to get her poetry published and find her way in this community. But she finds that living with violence has a cost, even if you’re not the one hurt.

Proximity to the epidemic of violence impacts how she sees herself and her ability to find her own voice. In this new community, she and her best friend Pam, young and wide-eyed, with a belief in their invincibility, do everything they can to pay rent, be artists, and follow the love in their hearts. These are simple things so many of us take for granted, but are monumental in communities stricken by violence. Naomi has to find her identity for herself and learn how she fits in her community. Ultimately, she must decide if following her dreams is worth the costs.