Full Heart Bones Summary (with Age Rating)

Beyah has essentially raised herself and everything that she has in life, including her full ride to Penn State in the fall, she has gotten on her own accord. 

So, when she finds her mother dead on the couch from a drug overdose, she is completely devoid of emotion.

With nowhere to go and no other relatives to call upon, Beyah hesitantly phones her father, Brian, who has since moved to Texas, and he buys Beyah a one-way plane ticket there. So, Beyah packs up a couple of bags of her only belongings and leaves Kentucky behind.

In Texas, Beyah’s father and stepmother, Alana, “Summer” on the Bolivar Peninsula in a beautiful oceanfront home, and her new stepsister, Sara, is lovely.    

Sara takes Beyah under her wing and recommends that Beyah connect with their hot, rich, and single neighbor, Samson, who is friends with Sara’s boyfriend, Marcos. 

Beyah, who already had a run-in with Samson on the ferry, could not be less interested.  Samson, however, is immediately drawn to Beyah. 

Then, as she and Sara attend nightly bonfires on the beach, Beyah becomes intrigued by Samson.  In each other, they see similar damage and depth, but each of them still has their guard up.

They often play a game in which they answer one another’s questions and, in doing so, Beyah finds out some basic information about Samson:

His mother passed away when he was young. His father owns five rental properties on the Peninsula, which Samson manages. He lives in the home next door to Beyah most often because it’s the most expensive to rent and is, therefore, often vacant. His friend Rake died during Hurricane Ike. And, he does odd jobs around town, namely his elderly neighbor Marjorie, for which he doesn’t payment. 

Yet, there are several questions that he refuses to answer. Since he’s headed to the Air Force Academy in the Fall, he promises to give Beyah answers at the end of the Summer.

One day, Samson invites Beyah on their first “real” date — a golf cart tour of the beach. 

Their date takes an eerie turn, though, when the two discover the bones of a dead body in the dunes. Samson realizes, via the shirt fabric, that the bones are of his friend Rake, whose boat capsized there.  He tells Beyah that Rake would want to be buried at sea and that he needs to take care of this himself.

To take their relationship to the next level, Beyah gets her father’s permission to spend the night with Samson at his house next door. 

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Beyah is told that Samson’s real name is Shawn Samson Bennett and that the home at which he was staying was really another family’s home in which he was trespassing.  He had been in prison in the past for auto theft, and he had a parole violation, as well as two warrants out for his arrest for arson at another home at which he was trespassing.  He is looking at quite a bit of jail time.

Beyah is completely shocked, but when she visits Samson, he is finally willing to answer her questions. First, he apologizes profusely for his repeated lies and omissions.  Then, he explains that his mother really did die when he was young, but that Rake was actually his father.

Samson had been alone and on the streets since he was 13 years old, trying to make ends meet.  He was, in many ways, just like Beyah.

Samson explains that, when he was younger, he did some stupid things with an old friend, which led to his prison time, but also that the arson wasn’t fully his fault, as there was faulty electrical in the house where he was squatting.

Lastly, Samson was also never going to attend the Air Force Academy, but rather he was preparing to turn himself in.

Samson begs Beyah to go to Penn State and to forget about him.  Initially, Beyah’s hesitant, but she finally heads up to Pennsylvania. 

Samson stops taking her phone calls and removes her from his visitor list, making his decision final.

Still, Beyah sees the good in Samson. So, she contacts Marjorie, the elderly woman for whom Samson did some work, and Marjorie, in turn, contacts her son, Kevin, who’s a lawyer, to take on Samson’s case. 

Samson is sentenced to four years in prison and Beyah calls Kevin monthly, but she doesn’t get much by way of updates.  After four years pass, Beyah’s college years end, and Kevin lets her know Samson will be released. 

Beyah waits at the prison for hours.  When Samson emerges, he heads for the bus stop, then looks back and runs to her.  After a kiss, the two head to the beach, stare at the ocean, and finally feel ready to be the couple they were always meant to be. 

They call Kevin, who informs them that Marjorie recently passed away and left her beach house to Samson.  Shocked, but grateful, the two embark on their journey of life, love, and whatever the future holds for their damaged, yet in many ways repaired, souls.