Life is hard for outlanders on the island of Irishmore, a lesson Mollie Tierney's mother learned long ago. After eleven years, Emma Tierney took her infant daughter and headed home to America, leaving her resigned husband and defiant son behind.

Nearly three decades later, eager to know her Irish kin, Mollie accepts a temporary teaching position on the island. Before she can even pack her bags word comes that her brother and his wife, Kerry, have died, leaving Emma custody of their young children. Heartbroken, Mollie vows to help care for her nieces and nephew until Emma can send for them. But Mollie has reckoned without her feelings for Sean O'Malley, Kerry's griefstricken twin. Determined to keep the children, he sees Mollie as the enemy even as he yearns to hold her close. It's up to Mollie to teach him to trust his heart - and her own.