Clara Raymond is the kind of obstetrician any woman would want-caring, skilled, dedicated. But she is caught off guard when a pregnant woman is wheeled onto the labor and delivery floor with what seem to be minor complaints. The patient turns out to be Lydia Benson, a childhood friend who once saved Clara's life after a terrible horseback-riding accident. And at Lydia's side is her husband Gordon Robinson, a man whom Clara once loved passionately and then left-although she has never forgotten him.

That night in the labor and delivery rooms the brief reunion goes tragically wrong. For Clara, the consequences will include a journey to California and to her own past-and a rediscovery of hope in a place she never expected.