"I thought I would do something important, make lovely things, things that people would admire and that would make the world more beautiful." Such was the lament of Joe Carroll, spoken to his wife, Maggie, as they floated in a borrowed rowboat on the Connecticut River.

Grown-ups who have ever been disappointed with themselves will feel a kinship with Joe Carroll, an idealistic woodcarver, husband and father, consigned to carving herbs on kitchen cupboards for ungrateful customers.

But when Joe learns of a huge mahogany board stored in a shed since World War II, it appears his dreamed-of destiny may finally be working out.