The Bedloe family is a happy family living in Baltimore. Everything seems perfect, until the day Ian tells his older brother, Danny, that his wife is cheating on him. Danny is devastated and takes his own life in frustration. This becomes too much for his wife, who also commits suicide by taking too many sleeping pills. The now gone couple had three children. Two of them was from the wife before she met Danny and the youngest one they have together.
The children moves in to their grandparents who is now their caretaker. Ian feels extremely guilty by the sudden events. He eats himself up. He seeks help in a close by church. He drops out of college, only eighteen years old and becomes a carpenter. He does this so he can be able to help his parents raise the children of his brother.
Over time, Ian becomes more and more the primary caretaker, taking away responsibility from his parents. He feels that he sacrifices his life and is filled with guilt and a feeling of responsibility. Ian goes more often to church and finds help and support there.
The two oldest children moves out of their grandparent’s house. When the grandmother has a heart attack and dies, one of the oldest children comes home to help. She is with a friend who is a professor. This professor gives Ian an opportunity that can give him a new chance in life.
