Young Dinah's dream of ever leaving her small Southwest Florida town seems doomed when she finds herself pregnant by an unscrupulous, older man. Zach also has a dream. He wants to be his own man, go his own way. But when tragedy strikes Dinah's family, his soft heart won't allow him to walk away. When Tyler, an ambitious land developer, offers to buy Dinah's riverfront property, her dream is revived. Although Zach abhors the selling of paradise for a quick buck and tries to change her mind, his main fear is losing Dinah. Tyler ups the ante by proposing, and Dinah is forced to choose between a man who can make her dream come true, or a man who's been there for every joy, every sorrow in her life. She chooses the dream. Years later, the stock market is soaring, Tyler's the wealthiest man in the county, and Dinah's had it up to her jewelled earlobes with the grand life. Adding more stress is Tyler and Zach's decision to enter politics. One candidate wants to further develop the sun-kissed coast; the other wants to preserve it for future generations. Dinah chooses to support Zach, and the race is on.