The following version of this book was used to create the guide: Wetmore, Elizabeth. Valentine. HarperCollins Publishers, 2020.

Elizabeth Wetmore's novel, Valentine, is written in the present tense, and divided into overlapping layers of narrative voices and points of view. Each section follows a different female character. Gradually some of the women's stories more overtly interact.

On the evening of Valentine's Day, 1975, 14-year-old Gloria Ramírez, has a fight with her mother, and runs off to Sonic to be alone. When a charming young man, Dale Strickland, asks her to spend the evening with him, she accepts. Though the night begins somewhat innocently, it quickly turns violent. Dale becomes drunk and rapes and beats Gloria. In the morning, she wakes in the middle of an empty field, sneaking off before Dale can wake and hurt her again. She walks miles across treacherous land until she reaches the nearest farmhouse, Mary Rose Whitehead's ranch.

When Mary Rose sees the girl's battered condition, she is alarmed. She hides her in the house and keeps Dale from entering once he arrives on the property. The cops arrive just before Mary Rose takes a shot at him. In the months following the incident, Mary Rose begs her husband Robert to move to town. She is afraid of a repeat incident. Once she has her new home in Odessa, however, Mary Rose still feels haunted. Her decision to defend Glory in court, has put her in a complicated situation. Because the townspeople think Dale is a good young man, they badger and harass Mary Rose for planning on speaking against him.

Initially irritated that Mary Rose and her family have moved in next door, Corrine Shepard gradually begins identifying with her new neighbor. Though Corrine's husband has died months prior, she continues to grieve him. Every time she encounters his belongings, she recalls his goodness and kindness, wishing she could be more like him. These memories gradually lead her to reach out to, and establish a friendship with Mary Rose.

In the meantime, a young local girl, Debra Ann Pierce is suddenly abandoned by her mother, Ginny Pierce. Confused and ungrounded by her mother's departure, Debra Ann begins showing up at Corrine's more and more often. Because Potter was kind to her, Corrine attempts the same graciousness. As the summer carries on, Debra Ann makes friends with a random strange she encounters living in the drain pipe near Corrine's house. A Vietnam veteran, the young man has recently been robbed and abandoned by his cousin. He is grateful for Debra Ann's kindness and friendship. Though they are significantly separated in age, the two relate over their sadness and loneliness, sharing stories and fables.

Meanwhile, not long after Glory's mother, Alma is deported, Victor Ramírez, Glory's uncle, moves Glory to a safer home, afraid the immigration police will find her too. At the motel she stays in her room most days. She is afraid and uneasy, barely even responsive to her uncle. With time she softens to his stories and kindnesses. One day she even ventures outside alone. Sitting by the pool she meets a kind woman, Tina. She listens to Glory's story and comforts her.

When the day of Dale Strickland's trial arrives, Glory fails to appear in court. Mary Rose goes through with her testimony on the girl's behalf. However, the jury, opposing counsel, and judge, undermine her story and belittle her character. Because she loses her temper, the judge holds her in contempt and she spends the afternoon in prison. That evening her lawyer calls to say Strickland was released.

Enraged by the outcome of the case, Mary Rose has a mental breakdown. She stops taking care of herself and her children. Corrine rushes in to help. That same day, a tornado whips through the town, and Debra Ann disappears. When the women discover she has left town with Jesse, Mary Rose becomes convinced the young boy is actually Strickland in disguise. Corrine chases Mary Rose out to the desert in search of Debra Ann. Corinne stops Mary Rose just before she kills Jesse. Though she knows Mary Rose wants revenge for what Strickland did, Corrine reminds her she cannot kill an innocent man. They all return home.

Not long after, Victor readies Glory to leave Texas. They depart in the middle of the night, determined to avoid the police. On the drive, Victor tells her stories, reminding her of all she has overcome, and all she has to come in her new life. They do not look back at Texas once they cross the border.