A novel that tells the story of the lasting legacy of a first love and the decisions that haunt them forever. Maggie Dawes co-owns a gallery in New York and is also an acclaimed photographer. However, an insidious disease – cancer – intervenes in her life quite unexpectedly. Maggie's illness gradually begins to weaken more and more, so she decides to accept help. Mark, the young assistant she hires into the gallery, is also a pleasant companion for her during the Christmas holidays, which she would otherwise spend alone. During their conversations together, Maggie confides in Mark the story of another Christmas. The ones she experienced in Ocracoke when she was sixteen. Why was Maggie in Ocracoke and who really is Mark? Nicholas Sparks' new novel will completely absorb you.