Jimmy Bailor is put ashore and left by his father and the crew of the Annie May in an attempt to make a man out of him. Jimmy’s father is cruel and irrational, and Jimmy can’t believe what has happened. After several days without being rescued, Jimmy sets off to find home, though he has no survival skills and is certain he will die. He comes upon Juniper Tickle and is nursed back to health by Flory White and her pregnant sister-in-law, Lizzy. The two women and Lizzy’s son are living alone after the White menfolk have all been arrested for the murder of Jimmy’s father. The Annie May has washed up on the beach in Juniper Tickle with nobody aboard—or so the Whites say. The law sees things differently. As the trio and the little boy settle into life in Juniper Tickle, Jimmy’s inadequacies are compounded by a difficult birth for Lizzy, food scarcity, and the lingering notion of whether the men will return in the spring. As Jimmy takes on more responsibility, he struggles with the plight of his father and his own deception of the women, who don’t know he is the son of the murder victim who is the reason they are alone. When spring comes and the men return, Jimmy is found out and turned in by the Whites. Flory, who struggles with her own budding feelings toward Jimmy, is devastated by his deception. Long believed lost at sea or murdered, Jimmy’s return to Spigot Harbour is welcomed by all but one. Somebody is intent on seeing that Jimmy stays dead. After living in Juniper Tickle with the Whites, Jimmy sees himself and everyone around him in a new light. He blames himself for the rift between him and his father and for how he contributed to his father’s death. Most of all, he hates that he’s hurt Flory. As the killer closes in, and truths come to light, Jimmy fears for Flory’s safety. Flory learns that Jimmy is critically injured and may be dying. She is torn by her feelings as her sister-in-law, Lizzy, reveals a secret. Both Jimmy and Flory’s worlds come tumbling down around them. Can they realign their own truths and confront their feelings for each other, or have circumstances that brought them together be the same ones that keep them apart?