James Montez kicked off the 1970s feeling pretty lucky. He made some fast friends in college, enjoyed his classes, and pulled a high lottery number for the Vietnam draft. Like everyone else, he dabbled in some fly-by experiences with women and drugs, but what he's been missing out on is love. A dazzling woman named Maria changes all that. In an instant, he's head over heels in love. James's world suddenly feels open and golden. He has youth, a future, and a lifelong partner who is the only woman for him. But then a horrendous tragedy shatters everything. Adrift and lost, James finds himself trying to gather the shards of his existence and reassemble them into some kind of life. Though he's been forced to grow up in ways he could never have imagined, he hasn't exactly learned from those life lessons, and now he's in prison for a white-collar crime surrounded by what he thinks of as real criminals. Most days, it feels like he's headed for a dead end, and fast. And yet, sometimes the universe throws you a lifeline when you least expect it. . . .