Try as he might, Junius "Little Whit" Whitman can't unsee the busted foundation of his father's holy roller faith. All in one night, he's watched a man die in the middle of a prayer service, a tornado level a neighboring town, and his parents' marriage incinerate above him. Even though he doubles down on his efforts to believe, Whit enters young adulthood searching for a faith he can hold onto.

As he encounters real diversity for the first time at college, Whit's crisis spins out faster and further than he can keep up with. His friend Isaias teaches him to listen to other people's stories with compassion, which frustrates his assumptions and complicates his view of the world. Expulsion, injustice, and his first love affair combine to leave him unmoored, kept afloat only by the love of his friends and his need for honest answers to life's big questions.

Whit's newfound perspective causes him to examine his and his sister's childhood with a different lens, revealing a darker and more damaging past than he'd recognized at the time. Whit can't simply come to terms with what has happened. He must lean on synthetic family, discover tangible grace, and confront his hidden demons if he has any hope of a better life for himself and those he loves.