Maggie Knox is the new girl in Little Oxford, the charming New England town familiar to readers of Faith Baldwin's Any Village, No Bed of Roses and Time and the Hour. After the death of her great-aunt Hattie, Maggie arrives from her native Hawaii determined to make a new life for herself in the wonderful antique-filled house Hattie has bequeathed to her. Though Maggie shivers through a cold and snowy winter, homesick for the family she has left behind in a kinder climate, she soon makes warm friends among many of the town's inhabitants. One of the first to befriend her is her lawyer, Matthew Comstock, "the best-looking homely man" Maggie has ever seen. Matt is the most eligible bachelor for miles, with a penchant for women who are not looking for a permanent relationship. But Maggie is more interested in a married man. Against all her best intentions, Maggie finds herself drifting into love with Dr. Alan Carstairs, a physician on the staff of the hospital where she has taken a job. When tragedy strikes Alan and his wife, Lily, Maggie is confronted with the most difficult, and tempting, situation of her life. By the time Maggie resolves her dilemma, she has earned her own place in Little Oxford and is no longer just the new girl in town.