Levi Turner ran from northern Maine thirteen years ago, and he wouldn't be back now if his father didn't need him. He'll stay just long enough to see the man on his feet and do his best to avoid Carissa Michaud while he's there.

Easier said than done. Carissa throws down on him the very first night.

She accuses him of abandoning his family; he challenges her rose-colored view of their childhood. They spar more often than talk, but when a child goes missing in the Great North Woods and they team up to find her, their relationship starts to change.

Levi recognizes the caring behind her nosy behavior and develops an appreciation for her unflagging honesty. Carissa had thought his close-mouthed, often surly manner meant he didn't care.

Now she realizes the opposite is true. Yet the clock is ticking.

His life is in North Carolina, hers in Maine. Their inevitable parting is full of harsh words and hurt feelings.

Levi can't tell her he might be back because he doesn't want to get her hopes up and disappoint her. Carissa is not too proud to tell him how she feels, but she is too proud to ask him to stay.

His mother says living in their wild pocket of woodland makes some people crazy, while it calls to others. It's not the land calling him; it's the woman.

. .