One man's choices robbed her of her sense of security. She is powerless. Held captive by the fears in her mind. She feels like her dreams for her future-her hopes for a husband and a family-have been cruelly ripped away. Jillian Hall has returned to New Hope Falls, hoping to salvage some part of her future. It was a place she'd once felt safe, and she hopes it does that for her again as she begins to teach at the local elementary school. It's the only dream she has left. His own actions robbed him of the woman he loved and shattered their hopes and dreams for the future. It has been ten years since that night, but still the woman he'd hoped to spend the rest of his life with lies vegetative in a hospital bed. His guilt has kept him frozen in the past, unwilling to consider a future-one with a wife and a family-when she has no future beyond her hospital bed. Carter Ward moved to New Hope Falls from Seattle to appease the couple who would have been his in-laws if things had turned out differently. They love him, and they want him to move forward with his life. To begin to live again since nothing will change with their daughter's condition. But that is the last thing Carter wants. The last thing he feels he deserves. When Carter rescues Jillian from an awkward situation with a persistent guy who thinks she should date him, they discover that while neither of them is interested in a relationship with marriage as the goal, being able to say they are dating might solve a problem for both of them. But is there a chance for something more? Will they be willing to reach for previously abandoned dreams? Or will the things that have held them captive continue to chain them to their pasts? A sanctuary for those needing refuge. A beacon for those who are lost. A place for the hurting to call home. Come for a visit and fall in love with New Hope Falls and its residents, both old and new.