She's been in Minnesota, "helping a sick aunt." As she returns home to Redlands, California, she wonders how she can tell her grandparents the real reason she went to visit Aunt Hannah. She wonders how she can put the past year behind her and go on with her life. Then Cari meets Jeff Bennett, and she fights to suppress the hope he kindles in her, along with the feelings she has for him. Just as Cari is ready to reach out for Jeff's love, the past reaches forward to threaten her happiness again. How long will Cari's secret cast a shadow over her life?