Set against the taut yet passionate landscape of the dry heat of Mirage, Arizona, Summer of Rescue illuminates the stunning, often ambiguous emotions of a woman coming to terms with her life. For Clare Nichols, wife and mother, the summer of her fortieth year is a time of reminiscences and regrets, a time to reconsider the past and to contemplate the possibilities of a new beginning. As Clare finds herself tempted by the romantic entreaties of a younger man, enviously watches her daughter become a woman, and confronts the memories of the tragic death of her son many years before, Nelson transforms the common events of life into a novel of uncommon grace and power.