Anna Lutz Abbot considers herself independent and happy—until one steamy summer when her collegiate daughter comes home to the Isle of Palms in South Carolina a very different person, her wild and wonderful ex-husband shows up on her doorstep, and her flamboyant new best friend takes up with her daddy. And the already hot temperatures are cranked up another ten degrees by Anna's own fling with Arthur, who is, heaven help us, a Yankee. Now Anna must face the fact that she isn't as in control of her life as she thought. And she must find a way to deal with the whole truth—and not just the comfortable parts. . . .