Sassy, streetwise Dubliner Sammy is falling through the cracks. Neglected by an alcoholic mother, the problems she endures at school and home lead the teenager into the hands of manipulative adults. Failed by them at every turn, Sammy acts out, seeking attention from boys, then men, when what she wants most is protection. In a small village in Eastern Europe, preternaturally beautiful and naive Nico is about to turn thirteen. As her family falls upon desperate times, her father is approached to marry her off. Her family knows the offer is too good to be true, but they and Nico hope for the best as she’s shuttled across the sea to Ireland, where she and Sammy find one another in their new home, a suburban brothel. As Nico and Sammy journey into this dark underbelly and out the other side, their friendship—and the unexpected acts of kindness they give and receive—form a potent bond.