Gordon Schumacher couldn't get away from the small town of Sawmill Lake fast enough, but all the big city got him was a dead-end job and a fiancée who dumped him as soon as he came out as bisexual. The last thing Gordon wants is to return to his hometown, so he's stunned when his estranged grandfather dies and leaves him 300 acres and a house. He plans to sell the land to the first big-box store to make a decent offer, pay off his student loans, and never look back.... But that's before an eerie sound draws him into the Minnesota woods, where he meets beautiful, awkward, and fiercely intelligent Charlie Gustafson. Charlie is an outcast and a loner, but he shared a passion for owl research with Gordon's grandfather, Ibrahim. Gordon is drawn to Charlie's passion and quick wit. He finds himself regretting not knowing his grandfather, and he wants to know Charlie much better. He even discovers his love of banding owls matches Charlie's. Gordon knows selling the land where Charlie conducts his research will break Charlie's heart. Is the attraction growing between them enough to pull Gordon back to the one place he couldn't wait to escape?