Brittney Havers, a South Florida high school senior, lives with her wealthy stepfather, Niles Dunlap, after her mother ran her car off the road in "Alligator Alley" and was presumably eaten by alligators a year earlier. When Dunlap is killed in a private plane crash, his will calls for Brittney to receive a small stipend until she finishes college, after which she will receive only $25,000 a year for life from the estate. The rest of Dunlap's assets, totaling $70 million, are to be left to a corporate trust, unless a blood heir can be found.