It's summer, and after ten years away and the death of her husband, Allie Beckett has returned to her family's cabin beside tranquil Butternut Lake. She has promised her five-year-old son, Wyatt, that they will be happy there. But Allie is seized with doubts. Has she done the right thing uprooting her little boy from the only home he's ever known? Allie and her son are embraced by the townsfolk, and her reunions with old acquaintances are joyous ones. And then there are newcomers like Walker Ford, who mostly keeps to himself-until he takes a shine to Wyatt . . . and to Allie. Everyone knows that moving forward is never easy, and as the long, lazy days of summer take hold, Allie must learn to unlock the hidden longings of her heart and to accept that in order to face the future, she must also confront-and understand-what has come before.