Luke Sparks is a pediatric oncologist, determined to find the cure for leukemia.However, this dream is elusive and he fears he has lost his passion for medicine, his purpose for living, and has failed every patient he has not been able to 'save'. He even contemplates if his own life is worth living. But that thought is thwarted by Joe, the 8 year old patient he is bringing with him for some time away from the cancer treatments as Luke is returning to his childhood home of Grassy Creek, in the mountain town of Spruce Pine, North Carolina. He is seeking a respite and hopes of rekindling his passion, his purpose, and his life. Back home, Grassy Creek and rain, perhaps healing rain, stir his memory, and he returns to the summer of 1960 when he was fifteen and his dream began. The summer of 1960 starts as planned, with Luke and his best friend, Raisin and nothing but time. But when Raisin's girl cousin, Joey, shows up for the summer, his plans and his life change. Joey is everything the girls Luke has known before were not. Not only can she throw a crab apple farther than he can, she is intelligent and confident. She quotes Thoreau, telling the boys she does not 'want to realize when it is her turn to die, that she has not lived'. Thus, the three embark on a summer of mountain adventures, seeking to really live. Joey is a free spirit: adventuresome, yet contemplative; compassionate, yet reckless, and Luke is completely enamored. Joey learns that summer of the joys and dangers of the mountain, dragging Luke and Raisin willingly along for the ride. They find themselves in the midst of many adventures, including a murder mystery the likes of none that has ever been witnessed in that town before. As the seasons change so do the three. Summer's first loves fade into autumn. Joey becomes engrained in the town's culture and begins an internship with Dr. Peterson, learning all she can about medicine. Autumn gives way to winter and with winter comes a new coldness. A snow storm blows in while the three are manning Dr. Peterson's office as he is out of town and pregnant Mavis stumbles into the office with the baby on the way. Successfully, Hope is born that night. However hope is no where to be found as Thanksgiving approaches and Joey becomes distant. The three then have to face reality and face the hard questions of trust, faith, love, and ultimately death. As Luke remembers, can the mountains, memories, and rain become healing and hope, thus rekindling Luke's passion for the dream that began so many years ago?