Bright as ever, water in Snow's Run flashed in setting sunlight as it flowed into St. Mary's River, on to the Potomac, on to the Chesapeake, on to its fate in the deep Atlantic. Walking along the stream bed, William Snow came upon the ruins of his childhood fort. A dark object protruded into grasses at the water's edge from under a collapse of overhang. He reached for it, closed his hand around it, and recognized it as a woman's boot. A shudder slipped down his back as he pulled his hand away. At that moment of recoil, he knew. Through all this day's wandering in dappled sunlight up this meandering stream, he was meant to cross her path, meant to cross her wandering way. William Snow, retired judge and widower, returns to Snow's Rest, his childhood home, grieving for Jane, the love of his life. Jane's lifelong friend and neighbor, Carrie Darberry becomes Snow's housekeeper to rescue him from the depths of his grief, while she struggles with her grief over the death of an only child. Together, they move on with their lives and into another mystery along the banks of Snow's Run.