One sultry, summer night in Florida in 1979, the three young Barton brothers hop into the family station wagon and head out for a night on the town. Fueled by high hopes, hormones, and alcohol, their adventure takes a dangerous turn when they stumble into a violent situation that changes the very nature of their familial relationships. In the months and years after, the brothers set out on disparate paths and find themselves scattered--is the pull of family enough to keep them together? This is the first book in a two-part series. The second is ONLY THE TRYING.