World War II may be over, but Sergeant Davis Wilson feels no peace. Burdened by the loss of his best friend, Patrick, Davis has returned to his small town determined to make sure his friend's mother and little sister are cared for. But the fiery young woman who greets him isn't the "little sister" he remembers.

Faith Penwilliger lost both her brother and father during the war and had to grow up fast. The last four years molded her into a strong woman who runs the family business, cares for her widowed mother, and loves going out dancing with her boyfriend, Freddy. And she doesn't need anyone else in her life, especially not Davis—the boy she idolized until the night he enlisted and the subsequent humiliating argument she had with him that she would rather forget.

Davis is puzzled and frustrated by the new version of Faith. Even more disconcerting are the unexpected feelings he's developing for the girl next door. As Faith plots revenge and shows Davis what it feels like to be meddled with, it doesn't take long for the line between love and dislike to blur. Now only the truth of the past can unlock the possibility of building a future together.