In the Appalachian Mountains of North Carolina, Charlotte Henson fell in love with flying on her twelfth birthday, when her uncle took her and her twin sister, Anastasia, up in his single-engine biplane. Now that she's sixteen, Charlotte is old enough to take flying lessons, despite the fact that her father forbids it. Behind his back, she conspires with Anastasia and recruits her mother to aid in her efforts to earn a pilot's license. She enrolls in her high school's aviation class and gets a job at the local municipal airport, where she charms the staff with her work ethic and positive spunk. There, she befriends McQueen, a hot-looking pilot and aviation mechanic who's also a star athlete at Charlotte's school.

Flight training is exhilarating but intense, challenging Charlotte's steely determination and making her doubt she has what it takes to become a Navy pilot. When Charlotte takes her friends flying and calamity occurs, she must use all she has learned to save their lives and prove to everyone, even herself, that her dream to fly is worth fighting for.

Hardly Easy is a story about inspiring and empowering teenagers to follow their dreams, especially when stepping outside their comfort zone might feel like stepping off a cliff.