Professor Gabriel Emerson has left his position at the University of Toronto to embark on a new life with his beloved Julia. Together, he's confident that they can face any challenge. And he's eager to become a father.

But Julia's graduate program threatens Gabriel's plans, as the pressures of being a student become all consuming. When she is given the honor of presenting an academic lecture at Oxford, Gabriel is forced to confront Julia about the subject of her presentation--research that conflicts with his own. And in Oxford, several individuals from their past appear, including an old nemesis intent on humiliating Julia and exposing one of Gabriel's darkest secrets.

In an effort to confront his remaining demons, Gabriel begins a quest to discover more about his biological parents, beginning a chain of events that has startling repercussions for himself, Julianne, and his hope of having a family.