There are two things in life Emily Starr is certain of - that she will be a great writer and that she and Teddy Kent were destined to be together. School is over and one by one her friends leave to follow their dreams, including Teddy, who goes to art school in Montreal. Emily chooses to stay at New Moon, and though she misses her friends, she knows the path of a writer is a solitary one.

With each visit home Emily's friends seem more distant, especially Teddy. Desolate, but determined to hide her feelings, she throws herself into finishing her novel. When it is rejected, though, her confidence is shattered. To banish all thoughts of Teddy, Emily agrees to marry a man she doesn't love and give up on her dreams forever. But can she really have been so wrong about everything?