Keely Marie McLaughlin felt there was a secret surrounding her birth. She was keeping a secret from her momma, and she'd told a whopper of a lie, too. She was also about to have the encounter of her lifetime.
Keely's story unfolds in the summertime of 1929 in Southern Illinois, in the tiny rural town of Dupo. Her father works for the railroad, and her mother runs a small café and confectionary. Keely is the oldest child of four, all born into a loving, hardworking Irish family. The Great Depression is looming, which is guaranteed to make their lives worse, but they make the best of bad situations by calling on their love for one another, their faith, and their many skills to overcome what they'll need to survive. Although the family lives in poverty, they have a rich life knowing they are blessed no matter their hardships.
Keely has also recently bloomed from a child mature beyond her years into a colorful young woman who unexpectedly meets a handsome, naive boy from the city when he enters the café.
The young man, William Benjamin O'Malley, finds sanctuary among the McLaughlins. Keely and Will cannot deny their immediate attraction to one another, which is obvious to all. Her father deems Keely and Will's young love forbidden. An act of Will's tenderness toward her family cements Keely's love for him, which also turns her father's fears and dislike for Will into admiration and acceptance. He ulitmately approves of Keely's relationship with Will, especially since it was revealed that Will too, has a secret of his own, which will take him far away from Keely.
Each time Will leaves Keely to travel home to St. Louis, he promises that he will come back to her. Keely in return, promises she'll wait for him without question. Full of love and coupled with unfulfilled desires as teenagers when they bid each other their final farewells; they vow to reunite one day. Years later, Will surprises Keely with a visit. The sparks continue to fly between them. Their ensuing love story will come at a huge price that neither of them could have ever imagined. Their adult love story continues in the upcoming sequel, Following Seas.
