Through the Glass is the true story of Shannon Moroney's marriage to a murderer. When the two meet, she likes him, but Jason has a rocky past. In fact he's still on parole for felony murder of his old female roommate. She looks past his rough exterior and they get married. After only a month of marriage, Shannon receives a visit from the police; Jason is under arrest again for the kidnap and brutal rape of two more female victims.
Moroney decides to do her best to support her husband, but she does not condone his behavior and she is open about the fact that she cannot be married to a convicted rapist. When she visits her husband in prison, she bears witness to the punishment system for herself and finds that en masse, American law is more concerned with punitive measures than restorative measures. She realizes that there is a cycle of re-offense. She visits with her husband and he says that he'd like to plead guilty.
In the following months, press coverage often depicts her as a suspicious character for being so closely associated with a murderer and rapist. She endures months of criminal proceedings learning about the court system, the dangers of correctional facilities and the many catch-22 situations that criminals find themselves in. The jail system is a breeding ground for its own criminal network, so repeat offenses often happen in jail.
In the end, Moroney remarries, having given up on her attempt to make things work with Jason. Jason knows the whole time of his guilt, but the story mostly follows Moroney's descent into chaos. At times, she finds herself obsessed with the victims. She pries into the victims lives to try and make sense of Jason's perplexing behavior. She regrets that there aren't more resources for criminals designed to help them be productive, well-adjusted civilians, but for the time being, it seems that the justice system is designed mostly to punish criminals.
