It's spring, and everything seems perfect for April Corrigan. As a "redhot tennis player" in eleventh grade, she's eagerly looking forward to attending the senior prom with her steady boyfriend, Steve, and celebrating his high school graduation. Her typical family life with her younger brother, Bram, her author mother, Liz, and their chubby cocker spaniel, Corky, abruptly changes when she discovers her father is not who she thought he was. Instead of being an airline employee, he’s involved in something much more dangerous. Suddenly, April and her family are uprooted from their lives, including her spirited grandmother, Lorelei, and all her friends, to join a government program that provides new identities for key witnesses. It turns out Mr. Corrigan has been working undercover for the F.B.I. to bring down a drug dealer he must testify against in court.

Frustrated with her parents for making her miss all her school events, April defies the officer guarding them at a secret motel and writes to Steve to assure him she's okay. Although she doesn't reveal their location, a few days later, a mysterious man with unsettling black eyes attempts to break into their motel room, resulting in the officer's death. A nagging guilt weighs on April, making her feel somehow responsible. She starts having nightmares about a hit man named Vamp with those haunting eyes.

The Corrigans are quickly relocated and eventually reunite with April's father, Tom. However, their happiness is short-lived as they learn they must move to Florida and assume new identities. Even after the criminal Mr. Corrigan testified against is killed, his associates may believe the main witness knows more than he revealed during the trial.

April is miserable in Florida, and it's not just her new name, "Valerie," that she despises. The "new" dilapidated house lacks air conditioning and a dishwasher, the furniture is shabby, and they don’t even have a TV. April's mother is unable to contact her agent or publisher, leading her to drink excessively as she faces the end of her writing career. Only Bram seems somewhat content with his new friends, who play with him in the attic accessed through "secret" trap doors in the closets.

Then April encounters the self-assured Larry and shows him up on the tennis court. Although she misses Steve, spending time with Larry and his cousin, Kim, provides a welcome distraction from her boredom. But her relief turns to anger when her father forbids her from trying out for the school tennis team in the fall. Larry's arrogance leads him to assume "Valerie" is his girlfriend, and April struggles to find a way to dissuade him without provoking his temper.

The dire circumstances only deteriorate further. Abruptly, the drug world becomes intertwined with April's life, leaving her unable to manage. Her headstrong and self-reliant disposition nearly leads to disaster for her family. She is forced to learn a difficult lesson about family loyalty before she can understand what truly matters in life. This thriller emphasizes the themes of prioritizing what is important and the significance of family identity. As with many suspense novels, its primary aim is to entertain, but the insights April gains can resonate with all readers.