1Coming of age in rural Pennsylvania in the late 1940s, Rhue slides into a heart-warming romance with Thomas when her younger brother Hank, who is considered "odd," makes a connection with recent widower George following the death of his wife and life-long love Maggie. Rhue hesitantly becomes a party to this connection and begins to dislike Maggie when she laments the time that already slipped by without the opportunity to know George because of Maggie's reclusive and socially isolating behaviors. Rhue's father, who became a widower when Hank was born, reluctantly permits the relationship because of the benefits to young Hank. The romance between Rhue and Thomas is not the only one that results from this new connection. Through her relationship with George, Rhue gains access to Maggie's library with its extensive collection of classic literature and an unexpected treasure: Maggie's personal journals covering her entire life experience. Emerging herself into the pages of Maggie's journals, Rhue soon finds that her intense dislike transforms into a deep love for Maggie as she witnesses Maggie maturing into womanhood, reads of how Maggie initially rejected and then accepted the younger George, and revels in the lives of and sympathizes with this aging couple through Maggie's writings about their shared life experiences. However, not everthing in Rhue's life is as perfect as it appears. When Maggie's journals reveal a deep family secret, Rhue discovers that her family has been deceiving her for her entire life.