Gabriel Vargas is looking forward to completing his tour in Afghanistan and returning to his pregnant wife when he goes MIA and is presumed killed. His daughter is born, and eventually, his wife remarries and has another child. Four years after his disappearance, Gabriel resurfaces, having been held secretly as a POW. He is devastated as he tries to cope with the loss of his family, who now belongs to another man.

Alexandra Chamberlain, Lexi to her friends, is an investigative reporter doing an exposé on violence against women, and she has her own challenges. She is being discriminated against, is the guardian of her angry and bitter fourteen-year-old niece, and is pregnant-the result of a sexual assault.

They meet on Anna Maria Island, where both are on retreats to cope with their challenges. A relationship develops, but they are being watched by someone connected to a sex trafficking operation, which Lexi's investigation is about to uncover, someone determined to stop her at any cost. When Lexi's tires get slashed, and she receives some disturbing texts, they think she simply has a stalker, but when she and Gabriel are nearly hit by a rifle shot, they are not so sure.

Lexi and Gabriel return to their homes in Parish and Lakeland. As time goes by, there is no more evidence of the stalker, and their affections continue to grow. Lexi returns to work getting women's stories for her exposé. Gabriel buys a house, which he is remodeling. One afternoon, he has Lexi and her niece, Savannah, over for dinner. Savannah initially maintains a sullen demeanor but bonds with Gabriel when he teaches her 3D archery on his backyard range. Their bonding helps her begin to heal, and her rocky relationship with Lexi improves as well.

Just when their lives are getting back to normal, the stalker strikes again, sending threats with disturbing photos. It comes to light that Lexi was a witness at a trial five years ago, in which the other three witnesses have all been recently killed, and Lexi appears to be the next target.