Kellie Anne Ross moved to Chicago two and a half years ago, to try and start her life over after a breakup that left her heart in pieces. Now a successful dance instructor with her own studio, the displaced Texan spends her time teaching students, winning prizes in line-dancing contests, and dodging phone calls from her obsessed ex, Carl. A master at keeping her chin up in bad circumstances, she secretly dreams of the day she can move on from her past and find a good man to spend her life with.

Chicago police detective Jacob Evans lost his brave, big-hearted Tennessee-transplant partner Tom three months ago in a brutal shootout. A new country and western fan thanks to Tom, Jake has a promise to keep to his lost partner: learn line dancing, one of Tom's passions, and stick to it long enough to enter a dance contest. Problem is, normally confident, athletic Jake can't dance a step.

When Jake comes into Kellie's studio one rainy evening to sign up for lessons, their burdens feel lighter the moment they look into each other's eyes. But their road to romance is a rocky one: Jake's two left feet can improve with practice, but Kellie's past will not let her go. When the two start dating, her less-than-bright stalker ex, Carl, goes on the warpath. Enlisting the aid of a misguided private eye and a caught-in-the-middle streetwalker, Carl hatches a plan to get Kellie to break up with Jake...or else. When Jake steps up to save the day, Kellie comes to realize that the worst dance student she has ever had is also her best chance at true love.