A mother with lung cancer, her pregnant friend, and her sister who's a recently-fired college professor spend the summer on Nantucket to try and bring some calm to their jumbled and traumatic lives. Enter the young college student Josh, who is hired to be the babysitter of Blaine and Porter, while their mother Vicki undergoes a course of chemotherapy at the local hospital. Vicki's friend Melanie discovers she's finally pregnant after separating from her adulterous husband, and befriends Josh. Vicki's sister Brenda copes with the lawsuit the university has brought against her for consorting with one of her students and damaging university property--while she tends to Vicki's worsening illness and need for care. Those are the three major simultaneous plots that will have you swiftly turning pages to learn more about how these women think, what they feel, and the choices they must face about life, death and love. This is a gripping, heartwarming, and compelling book, set in one of the most beautiful places on the east coast.