When Julianna's father dies suddenly of a heart attack, Julianna and her mother are left to operate their huge plantation in the Mississippi Delta. Although Julianna is an intelligent, independent seventeen-year-old, she finds herself alone and very overwhelmed by the changes in her life. Blake is the rugged high school coach who has worked closely with Julianna and her father on the farm over the past three summers. As Blake helps Julianna through this transition, their feelings for each other become too strong to ignore. They did not mean to fall in love. There were so many reasons why it was a bad idea, but life had thrown them together for reasons beyond their control. Julianna and Blake find themselves desperately in love, but fate begins pulling them apart. When Blake is offered the coaching position of a lifetime in Tennessee, Julianna finds herself alone trying to save her plantation from financial ruin. Julianna refuses to let Blake give up his dreams for her and when she discovers she is pregnant, she makes choices that will change everything. Jackson Bridgestone is a wealthy prominent landowner with property adjoining Julianna's place. As Julianna realizes that Jackson is falling in love with her, she decides to use him to save her plantation and herself. Julianna's choices prove to be detrimental as she spirals downward after the loss of her son. When things start to fall apart between her and Jackson, Julianna is involved in a near fatal car accident followed by months of hospitalization and rehabilitation. When Julianna and Jackson decide to go their separate ways, Julianna begins her new life in a new town, but her past catches up with her, and she discovers how her decisions nearly ruined her life and the only chance at true love she would ever have.