Joel is the main character. The book starts with his dad throwing him out of the house bodily because he has tried again to give his testimony to his dad. His sister, Leslie is able to collect his things and throws them out the window to him. He spends the night with his aunt and her next door neighbor is an acquaintance of Joel's from high school. Jenni is a reporter for a local TV station.
Joel is working on his PhD thesis as well as teaching at the university where he will graduate from in December. Later, after Joel has settled in an apartment supplied by his paternal granddad, Joel meets Evangelyn who is a doctor at the local hospital.