There are always secrets in small towns. The unwed mother whose "husband" died in an accident, the alcoholic relative who is an unwanted fixture at holiday gatherings, the steamy affair of a town father. Then there are the secrets that are so evil and cruel they can only be called soul killers. This is the kind of secret Kacy discovers about her birth, why Robert made her an unwanted outcast, that sends her across country with her adopted son to find peace and a normal quiet life in the small beach town of Wayside, Maine. For a very brief time she gets her wish. Kacy finds herself no longer an outcast, but it's a long journey to peace and happiness and begins when Kacy meets Jeff Lester. Suddenly she's involved in the chaos of an abused runaway child, murder, jealousy and bigotry, and discovers that Wayside isn't the quiet town she thought it was. Pragmatic deputy sheriff Jeff Lester has a hate on for any unattached woman who crosses his path, but he is unexpectedly and strongly drawn to the woman who has an unusual capacity for empathy and understanding for children not her own. Jeff wants to keep his distance but Kacy's best friend, Kate and her husband, Mike, the Wayside police chief, are his closest friends; And they think Kacy and Jeff would make a great couple if they can stop butting heads long enough. When a series of events force Kacy and Jeff to deal with problems together they discover that they have more in common than they thought. While Kacy and Jeff are getting closer, they have to deal with protecting two young people from cruel bigotry. Kacy steps in, with Jeff's help, to keep them from becoming outcasts, but their act of kindness sets off a chain of events embroiling them in dirty little secrets, jealousy, murder, and Kacy ends up on a bizarre kill list.