Masochism. Just a word in a book, but for quiet high school student Alicia Porter, it has drastic ramifications for her life. If there's a word to explain her self-abuse, then maybe she isn't alone. And as she starts college, she discovers this is true. Her new friends, Tabitha and Monica, seem to understand the drive that Alicia has to hurt herself. But what they don't understand are the agonizing and sinister secrets that drive Alicia to such behavior. As Alicia's relationships with her new friends deepen, the secrets held in her subconscious begin to escape. No longer is her masochism and self-abuse a form of relief, but a trigger for horrible memories of torture and abuse. Even worse, her father is somehow involved. As her life falls apart, Alicia must battle not only the collapse of her current relationships, but also the secrets that threaten to undermine her relationship with her father, the only family in her life.