Cole Blake, son of Landon and Ashley Baxter Blake, is months away from going off to college to kickstart the great plan he has been dreaming about for years--a career in medicine. But as he starts his final semester of school he meets Elise, a mysterious new girl who captures his attention--and heart--from day one.

Elise has her heart set on mending her wild ways and becoming the good girl she used to be. But not long after the semester starts, she discovers she's pregnant. Eighteen and alone, she shares her secret with Cole. Undaunted by the news, and in love for the first time in his life, Cole is determined to support Elise--even if it means skipping college so he can marry her and raise another man's baby.

When Elise decides to give the baby up for adoption, she is matched with Aaron and Lucy Williams, who moved to Bloomington, Indiana, in the hope of escaping the loss and emptiness that seven painful years of trying to start a family has brought them.

But as her due date draws near, Elise becomes more and more torn. She knows she has two weeks after the birth of her daughter to change her mind. With Cole keeping vigil and Lucy and Aaron waiting to welcome their new baby, Elise makes an unexpected decision--one that changes everyone's plans.