Tim and his older brother are molested by their stepfather who dies when Tim is 12. Both boys get into drugs and after his brother attempts suicide, Tim rebels and is expelled from school twice. His mother turns to Christ and puts him in a Christian reform school where he continues to rebel. His real father dies and Tim feels yet more alienated. Although he has professed faith in Christ several times, he doesn’t deal with the pain of his past. He becomes addicted to cocaine in college, drops out, gets in trouble with the law and threatens suicide. Then he slips into dealing cocaine. The first part ends when he is arrested.