A little girl with an abusive mother clings to her father for support until tragedy occurs. The girl, now a young woman, tries to break free from the bonds of her mother and learn to love again, only to find more heartache waiting for her. Grace Smith lives in a small town with her mama and her beloved "Papa." Grace never quite lives up to what her mother expects. Mama is disappointed with her own life and is determined that her tom-boy daughter is going to become a beautiful young woman, a perfect Christian, and the wife of someone with a big future. Grace's father tries to protect her from Mama while trying to keep his family together. Grace loves her papa fiercely and relies on him for comfort and some measure of stability. Things change for Grace when she becomes a teenager. After years of complaining Mama convinces Papa to stop drinking all together and a fragile peace descends on the home. One day Grace's mother catches her father having a beer and sets in motion a chain of events that unravel Grace's world. Grace does all she can to please her mother, but it is never enough. Mama is determined she is going to mold Grace into a young woman that can get the attention of the right man. Mama sets her sights on the preacher's son. Brad Tillson has been to college and even seminary, making him Mama's perfect candidate. Despite Grace's reservations she finds herself happy in Brad's company and before long they decide to marry. Grace finally gets out from under the thumb of her mother when Brad accepts a position as a pastor in another town. Grace is the happiest she has ever been in her life. Brad is a dynamic preacher and continues an upward climb to bigger churches until he lands his dream job pastoring a mega church. Grace has everything she could have ever dreamed of. She loves Brad but begins to see glimpses of a different man than the one she married. The pressure of being a big time pastor starts to change Brad, and in one crashing moment Grace's life falls apart.