Tom Ashford is charming, intelligent, amusing, and congenial and he has everything he ever wanted from life. He's a wealthy and famous playwright, with influential friends, a beautiful wife, and two sons. Even so, he knows he is not happy. Nothing he does has meaning and he avoids any intimacy with people in his social circle. Where did everything go wrong?Tom travels to France on a pilgrimage--to the place where his life once had meaning. He rediscovers his first love--Elaine, who is now a widow with four sons and a large farm to manage. Elaine gives Tom an unexpected gift that allows Tom to view his life and himself with new hope and with new understanding.