The yearning deep inside her—to go somewhere, discover something, be a part of the world about her in a new way—would not go away. But what would satisfy it?

In The Tender Years, Virginia Simpson managed to struggle through adolescence and was looking forward to stepping into adulthood. Now her graduation day arrives, and she walks to the podium as the class valedictorian to the proud grins of her grandparents, Marty and Clark Davis. College beckons, and life seems to be well in hand.

But she thought she would feel differently—like an adult, with an inner knowledge that she is on the edge of the nest, ready to try her own wings. And then circumstances begin swirling around her, making her rethink her plans and reevaluate her priorities.