At the age of twelve, Cassandra Madden fell in love with Jefferson Ames, a young man she met at one of her mother`s business conferences. Over the years, during periods of loneliness and struggle, Cassandra holds on to this unrequited love in order to cope with her isolated heart and the pain of a cold mother. Even when she grew up, went off to college, and met a man she thought she`d marry, her heart still yearned for Jeff. In a decisive moment, she breaks off her pending engagement and travels to Williamsburg, Virginia, where the now-widowed Jeff lives with his young daughter. Cassandra becomes the child`s nanny but, even though she sees the object of her desire every day, Jeff does not seem to even notice her. Then, one day, she hears gunshots coming from a nearby house belonging to a leading actress, and, in an instant, her safe little life is turned upside down. The people around her aren`t who they claim to be. Everyone has secrets - and until Cassie unravels those secrets, she and Jeff will never have a chance to be happy together.