Two years after her husband's tragic death, Professor Jessica Johansen is drowning in a sea of grief. She's shoved-literally-by her best friend into a random stranger on her university campus. He apologizes, but she knows who's at fault: her friend, Mags Brier-Sheldon.
The next week, Peter Cassel shows up in Jessica's classroom and takes a front-row seat. Jessica is horrified to recognize the man she inadvertently groped in her unexpected fall. He charms her into a lunch date to discuss his upcoming book. Soon, they are meeting every day to discuss how his work is progressing.
Unexpected complications with his transplanted heart put Peter into the hospital for two weeks. Jessica misses his call, and she's devastated when he's gone for two weeks with no explanation. In tears, she bails out on her classes and heads off to Maine for a month at Mag's island estate to let her wounded heart heal.
When Peter returns to class, his teacher is gone, and he's devastated. He has no way to locate her and feels abandoned.
Mags views the budding love affair with excitement, and she refuses to let it die so easily. When Peter leaves on a pre-release book tour, she finagles to have her boyfriend deliver Peter's dog to her estate in Maine.
When an early-season storm batters the island. Peter learns his golden retriever is in the path of the storm. He rushes to rescue the animal, only to discover a hurricane can be as deadly for the rescuer as for those who need his help.
How will Jessica respond when she learns Peter carries her husband's transplanted heart? Will love bloom, or will she see in him only the memories of her husband's untimely death?