The novel begins in Cape Cod, where Theresa Osborne is vacationing with her friend, Deanna. On this beach, Theresa finds a message in a bottle that is destined to change her life. The setting then moves to Boston, a large city where Theresa lives and works with her twelve-year-old son, Kevin. Finally, the setting becomes Wilmington, North Carolina, a beach-side town where Garrett Blake lives and works.