Divorced after thirteen years, Jesse Wade leaves the only home he's ever known and finds work in Eden, North Dakota, as a ranch hand. His next relationship—this one with a man—is turbulent and eventually falls apart. Five years later, Jesse is still guilt-ridden, keeping his past and sexuality a secret.

Then he meets Ade Lardner, who breaks through the numbness surrounding Jesse's heart. The affair rouses Jesse's senses but is riddled with tragedy, and if Jesse and Ade are ever to find common ground, Jesse will have to decide if he wants to simply exist in the past or live passionately now and in the future.