Zelda Abbott had tried to be all things to all people like a good southern girl should. She had given up on her dreams, again and again, to keep the peace for those around her. The one time she did something for herself, tired to break away, things had gone horribly wrong, and her secrets hung heavy around her shoulders in a cloke of unhappiness. No one had ever guessed her secrets, no one had really wanted to try until he came back into her life. Boone Norris had been part of her childhood fantasies. Her brother's best friend who intimidated everyone he met, including Zelda. Now he was back in New Orleans, pushing her limits and demanding the truth.

Rachel had survived the worst kind of heartache and had moved on with her life by following a dream that she had always had, to be a medical relief worker. She would finally be far away from all that haunted her, and she would be able to begin again and leave the past behind her, or so she thought. When she arrived at her new nursing post, her past was there, waiting. Dr. Jack Cooper had believed he was doing the right thing when he left Rachel, but he needed to see her once more to prove it to himself. He needed to see her happy and content before he moved on with his life. Neither one of them realized that the other was less than honest about their true feelings. Now, they are forced to work side by side with other relief workers, hiding their love from each other and those around them. Can they mend their broken hearts once their shocking secret comes to light and their true feelings are exposed?

Penny Campbell has been Dr. Samuel Evers's housekeeper for over two years and he is still a mystery to her. She realizes that she has probably done the very thing that she shouldn't have and fallen in love with the polite and standoffish heart surgeon. Sam noticed Penny the moment she was hired by his sister to work in his house, but having been burned once, romance and relationships were not in his future. After a misunderstanding between the two leads to the possibility that Penny might have to leave, will they both realize just how much they depend on each other, and how much they stand to lose?

The moment Norah Radcliffe and Caleb Stevens met they fell in love, but they both had secrets that ended up tearing them apart. Caleb was never the person Norah believed him to be, and Norah feared that Caleb would hate her as much as she hated herself when he learned of her past mistake. It had been more than five years since Caleb had left because he believed that she had chosen her father's happiness over their own and Norah had let him go without a fight. Now, thanks to a chance meeting and a meddling family member, they have been given a second chance at happiness, a happiness they both deserve.

Lily Mercer is at a low point in her life, she's fallen away from her true love of acting after one nasty review killed her self-confidence. Since then she's been working dead-end jobs, hoping for inspiration. Unable to make ends meet, she lands back in the acting world by accident. A locally filmed detective show seems like a good choice, but as she joins the erratic cast of loonies, she quickly realizes that she's in over her head and that none of her limited experience prepared her for the real world of acting; it's hard, embarrassing, and not at all what she expected it to be. Especially when the lead actor, Finn Baxter, instantly dislikes her, a feeling that only grows as her youthful accidental prone self-returns in his intimidating presence.

Fiona Stevens has taken over running the family's ranch. The burden of keeping the Stevens family legacy strong has fallen onto her shoulders. It's not what Fiona dreamed for herself, but then she only ever had one dream, and that was Henry Mercer. Henry Mercer has always seen Fiona as one of the Stevens' girls, beautiful but untouchable. When Fiona's father asks Henry to step in and help Fiona with the ranch, Henry has to say yes. The Stevens are like family, after all. When Henry arrives at the ranch, he is surprised to find that the beautiful girl has turned into a strong, capable woman. However, neither Henry nor Fiona expect their secrets to form an unbreakable bond leading to the love of a lifetime.

Faye Brantley had always done what was expected; she's a good nurse, a responsible sister, and a great friend. She has spent her whole life putting other's needs first, and she has forgotten about her own. When Dr. Silas DeGraff joins the staff at the hospital where she works and ends up renting her basement apartment, she realizes just how lonely her life has become. Mystery surrounds Silas. He's handsome, rich, foreign, and rumored to be royalty, but is any of it true? One thing Faye knows is that he is making her feel things she probably shouldn't, especially since his stay isn't a permanent one.

It only took a handshake to turn Grace's life upside down. She was an all or nothing at all kind of girl and Bryce was a use them then leave them kind of guy. Would she be able to survive a summer at his home in Kent? She was suspicious that his cold demeanor hid a warm heart, but did she really want to get close enough to find out, and if she was right, would she be able to say goodbye in the fall?

Alice Grant is desperate to get an interview with famous reporter Rainer Stevens since he is the only one who has the information vital to her finishing her dissertation, but when the time comes to meet him she falls asleep only to awaken to the nicest pair of blue eyes that she has ever seen. Rainer agrees to help her, but only if she helps him by acting as research assistant for his latest story. As the the two travel the Texas countryside, Rainer realizes that he's in a little too deep and he's at risk to share all of his closely guarded secrets. Alice knows there's no way a man of the world like Rainer would ever fall for a kooky little grad-student, but knowing that doesn't keep her from falling for the man or his crazy family.

Beth Stevens had visited River Moss Plantation when she was nineteen on a fact-finding mission. There she met Wyatt Ramsey of the River Moss Plantation Ramseys. They had been trapped together overnight, a night that had ended in a kiss. It was a kiss that had haunted Beth for over five years. Now, she was back at River Moss Plantation as the historical researcher for her uncle, Mason Stevens's, new movie. Would she meet Wyatt again? Would he remember her and their kiss when she had her beautiful movie star sister, Mave, and family friend Katherine stealing the limelight?