As the story opens the family is just sitting down to their evening meal. All is as it should be. That is until the police storm in and arrest the father on suspicion of receiving stolen goods. In the aftermath, Jojo discovers that her father has a criminal record dating back before she was born. In her fury with him and the upheaval his actions have brought on her life she refuses to see him or have anything to do with him, including using his pet name for her. From now on she will be Josie. After he is found guilty the family has to move closer to the prison for visiting days and Josie must fit into a new school in a small town, away from her friends and the life she knew. The story demands attention right from the very first page. The characters are believable and the circumstances gut-wrenching as Josie comes to see her father's faults and learns to love him anyway.