Flash forward of Bec in the boxing ring, bracing for a fight — a metaphor for the combative trajectory of her life – before skipping backwards to early 2000s Tasmania and a turbulent adolescence marked by family instability, frequent run-ins with authority and an unshakeable feeling that she’s not worthy of love.

Teenage Bec hides her low self-esteem behind a cocky, loud-mouthed persona, but her constant troublemaking and plays for attention are starting to wear thin.  After getting kicked out of school, Bec is banished to Queensland to live with relatives – in her mind yet more proof that she’s not wanted. 

As she settles into a more nurturing family environment with her aunt and uncle, Bec’s surprised to feel a sense of belonging and contentment – but this is short-lived. Upon returning home, she’s swept up in a cycle of toxic relationships and petty crime and seems destined for a life of delinquency and hardship. 

Bec discovers she’s pregnant – and it’s the wake up call she needs.  She dumps her deadbeat boyfriend, cleaning up her act and determined to provide a safe environment for her baby boy giving him the loving family she never had.  

Bec then begins training at a rough-round-the-edges gym and discovers MMA. Under the mentorship of paternal trainer Heath, then the more enigmatic and serious Dan, Bec’s fighting prowess flourishes and she begins to contemplate a better life for herself and her son. 

What starts as a professional relationship quickly progresses into something more as Dan insinuates himself into Bec’s life, showering her with affection and playing on her vulnerabilities – but it’s not long before Dan shows his true colours. As their romance devolves into a battleground marked by emotional manipulation, coercive control and escalating physical attacks, the story unflinchingly charts the stages of abuse, counterposing Bec’s moments of triumph in the octagon with harrowing scenes of family violence. 

With Bec’s star on the rise, Dan’s insecurities bubble to the surface and his behaviour becomes more extreme. Finally, after a dramatic confrontation in which he threatens to hurt her boys, Bec finds the strength to escape. With the help of warm-hearted fellow fighter Adrian, she begins to rebuild her life.

Adrian and Bec’s burgeoning romance proves to be the motivation she needed, and her life takes an upward turn. Bec finally decides to go public with her story, leading to Dan’s arrest and conviction.