Chloe and Cal Tobias are both caught up in their daily lives. Cal operates a fishing charter business in the Gulf of Mexico in Florida and Chloe is a talented artist, restoring old valuable oil paintings. Their marriage is seemly disintegrating with their differences of opinion on raising their son, Marshall, a college student, and their 12-year-old daughter, Meghan.

During college break, Chloe and Cal are surprised by a visit from Marshall accompanied by Ada, a mysterious girl with strange ideas of religion. The whole Tobias family finds their lives falling apart when Meghan is intentionally given a small amount of peanut butter while taking a boat excursion with Ada and Marshall -- in spite knowledge that Meghan is highly allergic to it. Complete chaos occurs when Meghan falls into an anaphylactic state and slips into a coma.

When Ada and Marshall are arrested for child endangerment and then released on bond, they decide to run. Torn between loyalty to their son and terror of the possibility of Meghan's death caused by Marshall's stupidity, the family is forced to examine their faith and the limits of their ability to forgive.

Kristy Kiernan is an extremely sensitive and brilliant writer who's woven a very tender and heartbreaking story of loyalty, love, faith and survival. She portrays the strength in the characters and the conflict that a parent endures if inflicted with the circumstances facing Chloe and Cal. The reader is drawn into the turmoil and heartbreaking decisions made by the entire family with clear views of each character. This is a highly recommended read.