Sharon’s mother is neglectful and abusive, all the more after Sharon gets polio and needs special care. With a trache tube in her throat, Sharon is unable to attend school. A teacher comes and gives her the love she needs. At thirteen she starts school in the sixth grade. As a teenager, her home life gets worse. Her father stays away, having affairs. A car crash nearly kills Sharon, making her mother more hateful. When Sharon dates, her mother tries to kill her. The first part ends with her mother in a mental hospital.