Beautiful, young Jacy James travels to Cape May, N.J. in the summer of 1886. Grieving the loss of a man she loved, a boat captain lost at sea, she climbs the lighthouse every morning to look for his ship. Spunky and determined at a time when women are expected to be prim and proper, Jacy attracts attention at her oceanfront hotel, and catches the eye of handsome convelescent Cole Stratton, who has come to the seaside to regain his health. Jacy and Cole become friends, and then much more, amid the glittering, glamorous social whirl of the town. Until jealousy, collusion and a secret from Jacy's past threaten to destroy her newfound happiness, and all hopes for her future.