Laura Lee White-Hawk, 28 and without kin or close relationships, has taken leave from her job with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. Now she pursues her dream of becoming a nature writer while living in a dilapidated house on a wooded peninsula of the Lake Erie shore. The property is the bequest of the woman who rescued Laura in her youth from loveless foster care and reared her to be self-sufficient and courageous in the face of challenges. Life in her new home tests her resources and resolve. An unexpected challenge enters Laura's life when David, an eleven-year-old boy fleeing a home life of abuse and neglect, beguiles her into a collaboration that is both offbeat and clandestine. Laura sympathizes with David's fierce opposition to becoming a ward of social services, and perhaps unwisely and definitely illegally harbors the boy. Soon David wins a place in Laura's heart as cook, companion, co-worker, student, and inspiration. She realizes he fills her life with special meaning. The secret comes out when David's past embroils him in a frightening and dangerous situation. Can Laura's new acquaintances and David's native courage and intelligence see them through the tough times?