Still suffering the sting of her recent divorce and loss of her beloved aunt, Amanda Watson returns to her childhood summer home in Cape May, New Jersey with her young daughter, Lexie. Amanda finds many challenges resulting from the peculiar specifics of her aunt's bequest, and clashes with a local contractor, Dave, whom she hires to help with repairs to her aunt's home. Dave is a brooding but beloved Cape May local who is haunted by multiple past losses. Amanda, known locally by her childhood pet name, "Kelpie," finds friendship, support, and humor in the antics of a group of Cape May seniors who live in a retirement community in town. When Kelpie's ex-husband summons her to an unexpected legal showdown in Pittsburgh, her home town, Kelpie nearly loses her beloved Lexie--in more ways than one. Drama unfolds, first in the courtroom, and soon after in Cape May when Kelpie--and Dave--learn the meaning of survival, overcoming the past, and the magic of unexpected love.