Marylou Caponi inherited the boxing gym she had practically grown up in from her late father. It isn't easy being in a male dominated business but her strong will and determination and savvy about the "game" make it work out most of the time. Dan McClain is her head trainer, a former fighter, a handsome leftover from her father's time. He and Marylou have been on and off lovers over the years. Now past 40 years of age but not appearing nearly so, she questions her own attractiveness to the opposite sex. Both Dan and Marylou deal with challenges, sometimes violent, brought to them in the new world order by their fighters, local drug dealers, pimps, muggers and cops looking for the easiest, quickest way to close unwanted cases, no matter how they do it. Theirs is and entangled love story minus the candy hearts and flowers.