Hope Sutton, Rebecca Owen, and Theodore Howell have all come to a crossroads in their lives. As a result, each is headed to McKinnon Island SC for a summer away from their normal routines. Hope needs to decide in which direction to propel her successful career while recovering from the betrayal of the man she thought she would marry. Rebecca is tired of her repetitive, undervalued life as a mother, wife, and hostess. Theodore needs to create a new unit out of the sudden family he has been handed with the guardianship of three half-siblings. As the three become friends and help with the others' problems, they solve their own. Rebecca begins to feel like a whole person and develops a passion for the Gullah history of the island which grounds her cultural roots in African history. Theo learns how to be a father figure gaining the authority and respect a big brother lacks. Hope learns to take assistance and advice as well as she gives them. And together, Hope and Theo discover friendship that blossoms into love and the foundation for a family.