Worlds Apart

Seventeen year old German-American Anastasia Cavanaugh's life has been desolate for as long as she can remember. Throughout her childhood, she tried time after time to make friends, but no one ever saw the lonely soul behind the mask.

She dreams of escaping to Germany with her mother, for a fresh start in life, but her overbearing father won't allow it, using his poor health as weapon against her and her mother, withholding them from freedom. As her teen years pass her by, her hope for love and friendship wanes, and her confidence fades... and that's when he came into her life.

Gerhard Köhler. A native German boy her age visiting his dying uncle, and aiding his grieving aunt, for a short time being.

On a walk one day, fate throws them together, and for the first time in her life, Anastasia feels seen. Her world shifts. She isn't too much, she isn't too little. He helps her learn German, encourages her to follow her dreams, nurtures her in every way.

She finally feels all the warmth and love she never had as a child. Suddenly all of the loneliness was worth it. As the days turn into weeks, and weeks into months, their friendship blossoms into something much more.

But the inevitable storm is blowing in. As Gerhard's uncle's health declines, and his aunt finds her strength, time strikes a dagger between them, tearing them from one another.

They've grown together, laughed together, fought for each other under the same sun, but Gerhard's life is in Germany, and Anastasia can't go... yet withheld by financial struggles and guilt.

They know nothing can keep them apart, even if physically absent. Because hearts know no miles, love knows no distance, and friendship knows no time.

But what if she's too late? What if he moves on? What if fate throws them to opposite edges of the world? What if time abandons them? Is Anastasia destined to continue walking upon the path of life alone? Or does happily ever after really exist?