Tenley Falin struggles every day to survive in the small, poor coal mining town where she lives with her sister and mentally ill mother. Her dream is to win a one-person college scholarship from the local coal company and escape the hardships of her life. Kayland Barrett also lives in the hills and works tirelessly, overcoming hunger, despite deep loneliness and against all odds, to win the Tyton Coal Scholarship and leave the city filled with pain. They both intend not to create any kind of attachment, but one single moment changes everything. What happens when only one of them wins? When will only one leave the town? And what will happen to those who remain? Kayland is a story of despair and hope, loss and sacrifice, pain and forgiveness, but ultimately, it is a story of deep and endless love.