Sarah Malloy meets the man of her dreams. They share one weekend of perfection, discovering a friendship and an intimate relationship, love at first sight as it were. Then comes reality when Reagan Conley, world-renowned photojournalist, flies to one side of the world for his next assignment, while Sarah flies in the opposite direction, returning to her teaching duties at Princeton University in New Jersey. While Reagan dodges bullets and war, Sarah deals with a disturbed student who plans to disrupt her life. Sarah and Reagan share letters expressing their growing love. Even apart, they wait for the long winding road to bring them home—to each other.