Olivia Morrison, raised by her affluent stepfather John Archer on a lavish estate in Louisiana, enjoyed a life of privilege until she ran off with a cowboy and left the wealthy Archers behind. Years later, with her eight-year-old, Sara, in tow, Olivia returns to that long-ago estate - a prodigal daughter returning home, unsure of what she'll find there.
Olivia thinks she is prepared for a chilly reception, but she doesn't expect the emotions that churn when she comes face-to-face again with Seth, her older stepcousin, to whom she had once been so close. Seth, himself the father of a daughter and engaged to be married, is still disturbingly, dangerously, attractive. Olivia must contend, too, with the powerful emotions evoked by the past, and with a flood of dreams about her mother's death by drowning so many years before. When a new danger threatens her and her daughter, Olivia must face down her old demons, and find the courage to confront her new ones, in order to rebuild a new life with her little girl - and with the man she loves.