Olivia Barone is running away from a toxic relationship. As fate would have it, this hastily planned flight lands her in picturesque Crystal Falls, a village as idyllic as a Thomas Kinkade painting. There, she is championed by lawyer and gentleman farmer, Lance Crawford, who ensconces her in his aunt's inn, Mrs. Bow's Charming Manor. The townsfolk soon embrace her, and Olivia is enlisted to direct their annual Christmas pageant. Settling into this comfortable, slow-paced life, Olivia gradually lets down her guard—even believing that she might forge a new beginning and dare to love again. But, as it turns out, it is impossible to run from one's past, and Olivia is forced to confront her abuser or lose the man who holds the key to her future happiness.

2008, Florida's housing market has tanked, and Andrea Nelson is terrified. A single parent, she's been juggling the balls in the air for so long, somehow managing to pay all the bills—but now? With no foreseeable source of income, how will she afford her daughter's pricey school for the developmentally-challenged and fund her mother's upkeep in the familial enclave that is falling into ruin? Andrea has but one prospective client, the mysterious tycoon, Daniel Armstrong, and he is proving difficult; none of the luxury properties she shows him meet with his requirements. Desperate to sell a property, she shows him Casa Rio, her mother's oceanfront estate, and he falls in love with it. Heartbroken at the thought of having to relinquishing Casa, Andrea begins the process of letting go. Little does she know she has more to fear; a maniac is stalking her daughter.