Do promises made in one lifetime bind us forever? How do we break free? Can love overcome all obstacles? What about when someone you love is on a course of self-destruction? What do we owe to those we love? Do we have to sacrifice our lives for them, not to protect them but to join them in their destruction? Jillian White Harris, a twenty-four year old, bright, slightly overweight bank executive is married to an alcoholic, Drake Harris. She's been in love with Drake since they first met in college and she can't imagine her life without him. Jillian knows all the ifs of Drake's life: If only he could get the right job; If only he could stop drinking; If only he'd settle down and grow up; If only she could love him enough to make him change. She was so focused on his life that she really couldn't concentrate on her own. And then something happened on a business trip to Savannah that began to change everything. It certainly changed Jillian's understanding of her marriage and what it was based upon. It's in Savannah that Jillian gets her first glimpse of Ellie Peters and a world very different from her own. As Jillian investigates more about Ellie she gains the clues that explain why she's been letting Drake have his own way for so long and why she fears leaving him despite her pain and desperation. The secrets were there, buried in the past at Whispering Oaks.