Samantha is an honor roll student, a star athlete, and liked by everyone. At age 16, she attends a private high school on scholarship, but there are many challenges as one of the few African-American students on campus. When “Sam” is not studying, on the soccer field, or taking dance class, she is often volunteering at the YWCA or hanging out with Erin — her best friend. At the end of her junior year, after taking a very difficult AP chemistry exam and acing it, Erin convinces Sam to celebrate at an unchaperoned summer kickoff party, so they can have “a crazy good time” together. As the wild night goes on, the unthinkable happens, and Samantha is sexually assaulted.

Fourteen year old Gabriella has bounced around in foster care for most of her childhood. Her birth mother, Amber Gentry, had a history of substance abuse, and this continued even through her pregnancy with “Gabby.” After she was born, they lived in poverty, barely surviving on the fringes in one of Detroit’s toughest neighborhoods. Then, her mother lost custody of Gabby. When Gabby turned 9, she was adopted by Celeste and Frank Dellaripa, and moved to a nice suburban home outside the city. What she didn't know and only learned recently, is that her biological mom had been sending her cards and letters for the last two years. When Gabby learns this, and that her adoptive parents have been hiding those letters, she feels deeply betrayed and confused, and turns angry and emotional.

Joshua has always been kind of a loner. When he was young, he immersed himself in video games, magazines about cars, and drawing superhero characters. Then one day, when things blew up at home with his father, he got the urge to steal a video game at the mall — and something changed forever. At age 15, he was arrested for the first time, and since, he’s continued to get into trouble both at school and with the law. Now 17, Josh attends therapy, mostly as part of his post-arrest recovery and treatment program. Lately, he's been trying  to reconnect with his biological father — who has also been previously incarcerated. This is turning out harder than he ever imagined, and he’s struggling with all kinds of conflicted feelings.

Rosa was born in the Dominican Republic, and when she turned 5, she and her mother fled the country after learning that her father had been murdered. They resiliently crossed the border and met relatives who lived near Philadelphia. Rosa’s mother, needing to go to work each night, began leaving her with relatives and other friends in the apartment building where they lived. A man who looked like Rosa’s beloved grandpa always volunteered to stay with Rosa. She was sexually molested by this man. These experiences led to nightmares, panic attacks, and other complications. Now age 15, Rosa meets John, a 17-year-old high school senior whose aggressive sexual advances have turned her life upside down.

At age thirteen, James reported to a teacher that he was being physically abused by his father. He and his sisters were immediately removed from their parents by child protection services. In the process, he and his siblings were split up, and for the past three years, he’s lived with his Uncle Patrick. While James gets along fine with “Uncle Pat” on the surface, he doesn’t feel much of a connection. His uncle is an avid church goer, with conservative values and strict rules. James is creative, curious and extremely open-minded. Here’s the thing — except for one close friend, no one knows that James is gay; and he’s afraid of what might happen if his uncle found out. James spends lots of time by himself; he keeps a journal and he likes to write, think, and dream.

Born in Puerto Rico, Isabella moved to the United States with her mother Frankie at a very young age. “Bella” missed her grandparents, but her father Luis — he was never really in the picture. Growing up it seemed her mother was rarely at home, often leaving her alone while she went on acting or modeling auditions, or out on dates. There’s always been a tension in their relationship, and Bella feels like “everything revolves around her mother.” During her senior year, Bella meets Trevor at a friend's unchaperoned party in New York. Handsome and twice her age, Trevor treats Bella like a princess; attention she’s never experienced. What she doesn’t realize at first, is that Trevor provides sexual partners in exchange for money and drugs; and Isabella soon finds herself trapped in this world.

Jaime Reyes is a 15-year-old Mexican-American, who immigrated to the U.S. with his family when he was 10. He lives and attends high school in the working class neighborhood of Central Falls in Providence. Jaime’s mother and father were born in Guatemala, and they had originally immigrated to Mexico, two years before Jaime was born, due to the violence in that community. The same kind of violence was happening in their Mexican community, so Jaime’s father, Alberto, wanted to move his family “as far away as possible from Mexico.” They decided to face the dangers and cross the border; and they found a new life in the U.S. which would protect Jaime and provide him with a safe and positive future.