bler Liss, four generations of a family return to cherished places in nature from their youth and uncover buried secrets about themselves. From the coast of North Carolina to New York, from Savannah, Georgia to Switzerland, the special places include a meadow, a pine grove, a river, and mountain valley. Their journeys begin after a Christmas dinner and end a year later when they gather again to share their stories and start to heal as a family. They finally face a pivotal event-the death of a sibling and son. The most valuable lesson they learn is that nature can not only be a source of beauty and solace but of personal transformation and expanding compassion for all life.