Charlene’s family life is full of drunkenness and fighting. Her stepfather feuds with his family and they move constantly. Her step-grandmother and mother practice spiritualism, bringing fear. When she’s 12, her stepfather tries to molest her and continues trying until she’s 17. She begins using drugs, sniffing paint. A girl at school witnesses and takes her to church. Charlene runs away but has a bad experience and ends up in the hospital. She reads the first chapter of Proverbs and knows God is real. A pastor comes to the house and takes her to church. She prays to receive Christ, but the first half ends with learning her stepfather’s sordid past.