The Secret Ladder is the story of an ordinary woman confronted with the unexpected challenges life delivers. Sarah Coleman is a recent widow in her 40's. A gutsy University fund raiser, she is attractive, smart and capable -- too busy with everyday demands to think about whether it's the life she wants, it's the life she has. Yet somewhere between the care of her aging mother and the deep concern she feels for her troubled adult daughter, Sarah chooses to temporarily abandon her many obligations and seek the happiness she dares to imagine.