Josh Higgins tries to leave behind a very complicated family history in Louisville, KY. He drives out to Santa Monica, CA, where he meets Rita Long, a widow, twenty years his senior. Josh's backstory is slowly revealed as his love story evolves with Rita. Complicating matters his Rita's oldest friend, Donna, who seduces Josh and then antagonizes him into a sexual confrontation which Donna claims is rape. When Rita bails Josh out of jail, Josh escapes, driving back to Louisville. While Josh is driving back east, Rita flies out to Louisville ahead of him where she meets what remains of Josh's life back in Kentucky. The story comes to a head in Louisville as most of the Higgins family secrets are exposed. The final chapter takes place back at Rita's in Santa Monica, CA where all the story's characters end up over the holidays. The backdrop to the story is the fairy-tale like garden setting which was build/created by Rita's deceased husband.