Well-known artist Ellis Williams is in a slump and feeling all his fifty-three years. He's lost the joy which used to permeate his painting and despairs of ever regaining it. It doesn't help when he runs into a young man who comes on to him to win a bet, thus destroying more of Ellis's confidence.
Then, at a party, Ellis meets Martin Lovell, a man his age whose partner died soon after they adopted their son. Will these two middle-aged men learn they should never let go of hope? Or is it too late for men their age to open themselves to the possibility of love and being loved?
NOTE: The paperback also contains the story, "Let Go of Loneliness." When Byron, single and alone, moves into a new condo complex, he meets another resident, Jonah -- also single, and alone since his breakup with his much younger lover. The two middle-aged men become friends, sharing a common interest in gardening. As their friendship deepens, each man wonders if he has found someone he could learn to care for. Or are they now too old for friendship to turn to love?