Reeling with heartache after her husband abandons her for a younger woman, Adrienne Willis flees to the small coastal town of Rodanthe, North Carolina, to tend a friend's inn. Here she hopes to find the tranquillity she so desperately needs to rethink her life. But almost as soon as she gets there, a major storm is forecast and a guest named Dr. Paul Flanner arrives. At fifty-four, Paul has just sold his medical practice and is trying to escape his own shattered past. Now, with a fierce nor'easter closing in, two wounded people will turn to each other for comfort - and in one weekend set in motion feelings that will resonate throughout the rest of their lives.