Joyce Windsor is a woman who gets involved in the real estate game after the husband she helped put through law school dumps her. But she has to deal with Pete Strickland, the "King" of Beverly Hills real estate, who wants more than she cares to give for teaching her the ins and outs of the business.
A constant runaway is given over to the care of the state and finds herself in a remand centre for girls. She is soon caught between the uncaring bureaucracy, the sometimes brutal treatment from her peers and her own abusive family, and only one care worker sees her potential to rise above her tragic circumstances.
Desirée lives deep in the swamp and supports herself and her siblings by poaching. After an accident involving Deputy Billy and a friend, the Sheriff, Deputy and a family of locals go after Desirée. Soon the hunters become the hunted as she exacts her revenge for their violence against her family.