Her name is Jellie Braden, and economics professor Michael Tillman wants her from the moment they meet at a reception for new faculty members. Something deep inside Michael whispers that she is the one, and Jellie— a 40-year-old married woman— hears the voice, too. The attraction— between this middle-aged man who still rides the motorcycle from his youth and the introspective wife of a new colleague— calls forth magical feelings that only lovers can know. At the same time, it engenders the pain of choices and loss. But when Jellie disappears, Michael is ready to search the world over to find her— to discover the past she hides and what he must do to make her his own.