When juvenile delinquent TJ Byrd insists that she doesn't know who killed her mother, an unreliable addict who has disappeared, Quinn is inclined to believe her. But he's the only one. TJ is known for petty theft, fighting, and general hellraising, and when she senses she's about to take the fall for her mother's murder, TJ, her boyfriend, her best friend, and her nine-year-old brother go on the run. As former deputy marshall Lillie Virgil tracks the kids across a trail of burglaries, stolen cars and even a kidnapping, intent on bringing TJ to justice, Quinn sets out to find the truth back in Tibbehah.