Running from a date gone sour, prep-girl Angela Abbott finds bad boy Nick Donnelly at the river. Before the night is over, Nick unleashes the real Angela, calling her Angel, and fulfills the fantasies she’s long had about being with him.

Angela returns to her prep-school life, acting as if she and Nick are still strangers, acting as if nothing has changed in her. But everything changed at the river in Nick’s arms. While she struggles to maintain the Angela façade, she can't stop slipping away from her boring, planned life to be Nick's Angel.

This private prep school is Nick's last chance to escape the prison-bound track laid out for him just as clearly as the life that’s laid out for Angela. His goal to get out of school and out of town is threatened when he sets his heart on Angel.

When their secret life comes out, and Nick’s dark past is exposed, Angela dumps him, breaking both their hearts. When he disappears, she doesn't dare ask questions.

Then, at college, she sees him again and holds out hope they can get it right this time. Unfortunately, Nick’s got other ideas in mind.