A family's source of joy becomes the cause of all their grief. After years of trying to have a son, a couple finally decides to adopt one. While Shayne their only child is receptive at first, she finds herself getting increasingly jealous of Joel who has become the couple's center of attention. Shayne realizes that her adopted brother is no threat at all when he demonstrates his affection for her. But just when harmony is restored in the family, tragedy strikes during a beach excursion. Acting on a dare by Joel, Shane's father drifts afar from the shore and drowns. Shane's mother suffers a breakdown and blames Joel for the tragedy. Albeit Shane tries to hold the family together, the mother becomes inconsolable and demands that she return the boy to the orphanage. Now, Shayne must make the painful choice whether to keep her brother or submit to her mother's wishes.