In Candles on Bay Street, K. C. McKinnon immerses readers in the rhythms of small-town life in Fort Kent, Maine, a close-knit community that finds many of its most cherished beliefs thrown into question when a hometown girl returns after a long absence. The narrator is Sam Thibodeau, the town veterinarian, whose world is turned upside down when his childhood friend and lifelong crush, Dee Dee Michaud, comes back to town.

Dee Dee was always the town flirt, a beautiful, boisterous girl whose spirit couldn't be contained by such a small community. After high school she'd roared off in a sleek Corvette "the color of the sun" at the side of Bobby Langford, the kind of guy who looked great behind the wheel of a flashy car.

Resettling in Fort Kent years later with her son Trooper - the mysterious Bobby having disappeared long ago - Dee Dee starts a candle-making business and soon acquires an avid local following. But why, in the midst of reunions with old friends and a successful business start-up, does she seem so distant? What secret is she keeping from everyone who holds her dear?