How do you recover from an unimaginable loss? Gilbert Blythe and Anne Shirley are a year into their marriage and are both trying to deal with the loss of their baby, Joyce. Each think the other blames them for the death and each try to hide their pain. Gilbert loves Anne but has lost hope and Anne loves Gilbert but has a secret she can't tell.

Roguishly handsome Gilbert Blythe returns to Avonlea after three years away in Alberta. He is expecting to waste the next year pretending to care about books and listening to the mindless chatter of the likes of Josie Pye, but one look and a slate would change that. Complicated with the obstinance of youth, this is one lesson he must learn. This is a slight twist on an old story.