There is always that one family that's the talk of the town. They whisper about the shouting that can be heard from outside the house and the bruises that long sleeves and makeup can't quite cover up. That was Lanie Dyer's family. Growing up in a small town in the Northeast, Lanie always dreamed of getting away where winter didn't exist. The winter months were always brutal, with her family trapped inside their tiny little shack of a home, living in fear of the man of the house. Inside her home, she was the target of her father's abuse right after her mother got her share. Outside her house, she was a social outcast with only one friend.

For some reason, he never judged her and Lanie was silently grateful for him. She showed her appreciation the best way that she could, helping him work up the courage to ask the girl of his dreams out and working him through every relationship problem that he ran into along the way. After graduation, he worked up the nerve to ask his childhood sweetheart to marry him and she agreed, but when he went to share the news with the girl who'd helped him out, she was nowhere to be found. Of course, everyone knew why. She'd told the world time and time again that she would run away the first chance she got, and when she finally had her opportunity, she took it. Who could blame her? Especially when her mother ends up dead ten years later, murdered by her husband.

It was assumed that Lanie wouldn't come back, but no sooner was her father arrested for the crime and the trial date set, she returns. The entire town is surprised by the changes in her. The once outcast girl has grown up, but rather than living life on the edge the way most abuse victims tend to, she's turned her tragedy into a triumph. While life fell into place for her the moment she left town, the same could not be said for her old friend. Shortly after getting married, he discovers that the girl of his dreams isn't exactly the woman he imagined she was. Their marriage survives over the decade, but his relationship has left a bitter taste in his mouth. Running into Lanie again, he's hopeful that perhaps his old friend can work up a bit of her old magic to help save his marriage. Lanie is happy to help pick up where she'd left off, however, when she finds herself spending more time with her old friend than his wife does, she has to question if his marriage is actually worth trying to salvage.