As a child, Lucy witnessed a horrible beating and murder, along with her own personal set of horrors. Even so, as she grew, she tried to leave the past behind. As an adult, she moves from her island country to America-and yet she still feels as though she is living a cursed life. Terrible experiences follow one after the other, and Lucy finds little reason for joy or happiness. She wonders if life has any meaning at all. Despite her difficult times, Lucy is a very attractive, charismatic woman. Men are drawn to her, but in love as well as life she finds nothing but bad luck. She is surrounded by abusive lovers and smooth-talking, lying suitors. Lucy has little hope for a lifelong love; even if she could find a good man, would she be able to trust him? Lucy's challenges make her both tough and smart. Years of pain shape her into a self-sufficient woman, and lessons learned from pain turn her toward God. With the help of her faith and her friends, Lucy struggles to discover her inner strength-her "new me." She realizes that life is not a vale of tears, that even the bad times have purpose, and that joy can be found in the most unlikely of places.