SYNOPSIS:

The story begins when Sam and Gwen Whitaker tell their teenage daughter, Kay, that they have decided to adopt a child. Kay is not pleased and soon begins to defy her parents. When Carl, a seventeen year old boy, joins the family, Kay steps up her resistance to accepting him. In a while, Kay and Carl become at ease with each other, and then they fall in love. It all seems to work out well as the love affair between the two teenagers is kept a secret from their parents. However, in a short time, Carl is off to college leaving Kay feeling alone. She asks for a commitment from Carl that he is unable to fulfill, yet something deep inside shouts out to him to reconsider. Soon, Carl's grades suffer that places him on academic probation. He leaves college and disappears for a few years taking on odd jobs. He decides the only way to get back the love from Kay is to prove his worth. He robs a bank. Then, Kay gets pregnant, not sure of the father. Depressed and feeling lonely Carl returns to Kay but she rejects him thinking he should have been around when she really needed him. He flip-flops between giving her a commitment and taking-off again. He gives it one more try to get acceptance from Kay, but she now is hardened beyond her young age. She tells him to leave, but deep inside she wants him even more. He promised to right himself and to be a loving father to Kay's child, Angela. However, the promise is easier to make than the action itself. He leaves her for the last time, killed in a freak storm. The stolen money is not recovered. Kay and Angela move away to be with cousins in a small town, yet she thinks of Carl as the only one she has really loved.