The word murder isn't frequently heard in the small town of Mercy, North Carolina. Yet, behind the well-kept streets and smiling faces, Mercy bears a burden of pain from the past. Karen Denwood knows this all too well - she created the burden. After nine years in prison, Karen clings to the hope that the residents of Mercy will allow the "murderer" of Frank Aldridge to reenter the town limits unscathed. To Karen's dismay, the town residents shun her one by one. With only her aunt's acceptance, Karen loses hope for a fresh start in her hometown...until she finds forgiveness in the most unlikely person. Joseph Aldridge returns to Mercy planning to reopen his grandfather's old store as a veterinary clinic. After joining a prison Bible study, he never expects to come face-to-face with Karen Denwood, the woman responsible for his grandfather's death. Just when Joe thinks he can't let go of the past, God plants a seed of forgiveness in his heart for Karen. In the midst of Karen's struggle for acceptance in Mercy, Joe draws closer to her side. Will forgiveness blossom into something more or will their tragic history continue to tear them apart?