When journalist Monica Brunetti enters the town of Lady Helen, she is awed by its beauty. The picturesque South African village takes hold of her heart, especially the beleaguered residents of Sandpiper Drift, who are threatened with eviction from their tranquil neighborhood beside the lagoon. And so Monica packs up her laptop, her adopted sons and her housekeeper, Francina—who's wrestling with a major decision of her own—for the journey of a lifetime.