Hilary and Aria have never needed anyone but each other. Because Aria's father left Nantucket before she was born, Hilary isn't sure why anyone would fall in love on purpose, and she's fought hard to become a sought-after interior designer for Sotheby's. Plus, now that Aria left Tufts University, she's been tagging along with her mother as an interior design apprentice, which thrills them both.

But everything changes in August, when Hilary notices something wrong with her eyes. This happens smack-dab in the middle of a gig out in San Francisco, where her ex just happens to live these days—and where she and Aria play "happy family" with him in a way that breaks both of their hearts.

As Hilary and Aria whip back and forth from San Francisco to Nantucket, Hilary's eyes continue to worsen, and she begins to reckon with the fact that her eyes—and her career—might be on the verge of failing. Add to that a handsome stranger who's falling for her—and the fact that the moment he learns about her eyes, he'll probably drop her.

But not all is as it seems, and as Hilary and Aria learn and grow within their careers, their relationships, and with one another, they find ways to fight their inner darkness and find hope, despite terrible circumstances.