Evenside Church is an upstanding and venerable institution that has served African-American families in rural Maryland for 200 years. Minister Karl Upton is proud to be its young, up-and-coming assistant pastor. Karl takes the Gospel and his calling very seriously, so when God calls him to reach out to at-risk young people in his community, Karl can't say no. The world of the poor, however, is not nearly as simple as Karl had imagined. As he brings their world into contact with his own, sparks of conflict and controversy ignite into a scandal that threatens his family, his faith, and the integrity of Evenside Church. Trapped in a web of secrets, accusations and temptations, Karl must face the shadows that haunt not only the poor, but his own family and church as well. It is a struggle he seems destined to lose - unless his faith in God's greatness can dispel the doubts that have befallen his soul and the good people of Evenside.

A young drug dealer watches as his high-rolling life is dismantled in the wake of his cousin's murder, which sees his best friend arrested for the crime.

Coming of age in Plainsboro, New Jersey. High school student Hal Hefner stutters. On the evening his parents stop arguing and separate, 43 miles away at the state tournament, his school's legendary debater, Ben Wekselbaum, goes blank mid-sentence, Ben's teammate Ginny Ryerson doesn't get a first-place trophy, and the world changes. That fall, to Hal's amazement, Ginny recruits him for the debate team, mentors him, and will be his partner. He still has his stutter, but he works hard and he falls in love with Ginny. On the day of the first debate of the season, the world changes again. From then until the day of the state tournament, Hal has a lot to sort out. Is love rocket science?