Shiloh and Cary have been close friends since high school. Cary went off to join the Navy. Shiloh stayed in Omaha, got married, had two kids and is now divorced. When they reconnect at a friend's wedding, there are good vibes but much confusion.

Shiloh has trouble being close to other people, both physically and emotionally. She and her kids currently live with her mother, which adds another layer of difficulty to her life. Cary has an ailing mother and needs to deal with her as well as his difficult sisters. These factors compound the couple's emotional turmoil.

Shiloh was active in her high school's drama club, and her career now involves administering the local theater program for children. The book is interspersed with humorous vignettes involving plays she is producing. (Imagine talking trees, rambunctious bunnies, etc.)

It's nice to find a romance that isn't set in some glamorous spot like New York City or New England. Rowell lives in mundane, down-to-earth Omaha herself, and she uses the setting well to enhance the story of two flawed but hopeful people struggling with their very human feelings.