Nina Ross/Ashley Smith

Nina Ross is the only child of Lili Ross. Nina grows up with her single mother who moves them around the country often because she is a con artist and smalltime criminal. Nina is a quiet child who loves to read. Her only friend is her mother. When she gets to high school, one of her counselors realizes that she is intellectually gifted. When her mother learns the news, she decides to get a real job and move to Tahoe where Nina earns a scholarship at a private school.

Nina is ecstatic when her mother promises that they will have a stable life from then on. Nina is chubby and has her hair dyed pink, so she does not fit in with all the beautiful prep school girls. Her only friend is Benny Liebling, the youngest son of an old money family. Nina and Benny...