On her wedding day, Orton Reed is abandoned, slapped, and humiliated in front of everyone, all because her fragile stepsister Lucy is having another crisis. Her fiancé Cole, her childhood friend Ryan, and even her biological parents all choose Lucy over her. After discovering she is seriously ill, Orton finally stops begging to be loved. She leaves New York for a remote school in New Mexico, where she teaches, heals, and learns to live for herself. When the people who hurt her come back with apologies, Orton no longer wants a place in their lives.