Moving away from her oppressive parents in the hopes of taking charge of her own life, Beth takes a job as a school music teacher and initially resists her attraction to a tattooed mechanic who is the epitome of everything her conservative parents fear.

When her life unexpectedly collides with 10-year-old Jenny Briard, a homeless girl struggling to survive on her own, veteran social worker and mother Ellen Moore discovers that one small mistake can have life-altering consequences, in this powerful novel of motherhood and justice.

Embarking on a walking tour from Seattle to Key West after the losses of his beloved wife and business, Alan Christoffersen meets a series of people on his journey who impart lessons in love, sacrifice and forgiveness until a crisis in St. Louis threatens his healing progress.

Moving to Cornwall in an effort to strengthen familial ties, Clem and his 5-year-old son, Jakey, establish unconventional bonds with the jovial nuns at a local convent until an unexpected event threatens to end the nuns' way of life.