Welcome to Andauk. A church in this small Ohio town has been trying to establish a young adult ministry for many years. Finally, one woman thinks she has the perfect idea and the perfect pair of young adults to lead it, Ruth Ziebert and Gabriel Chadwick. Ruth is pretty sure this team is not a good idea. It isn’t Gabriel’s fascination with antiques and antiquated tech that bothers her. What bothers her is the fact that they share a very awkward history. Gabriel wants to work with Ruth whether it’s a bad idea or not. He’s ready to embrace the past and get their old relationship moving in a new direction.

Joseph Ziebert has been planning and saving for a long time to create the life he wants. Now he’s on the verge of making part of his dreams come true, the business part. But he wants a wife and family to share it with. He can’t plan that. Emily Mayor has spent years just trying to find the courage to tell her parents she might not want what they want for her. She’s finally found the space to figure out what she wants, and she’s trying to make her own plans. While she’s immediately attracted to Joseph, she worries that maybe his dreams don’t appeal to her as much as she thinks. Maybe she’s only exchanging her parents’ expectations for his. Maybe she’s jumped out of the frying pan and landed in the fire.

Julia has been hurt. She still wants to find a loving husband and start a family, but she’s determined to do it the smart way. No emotions, no hormones, just a simple plan of finding a guy who shares her goals. When Julia begins to receive notes from a not-so-secret admirer, notes that speak to all the things her head wants, she might not have to choose between a guy who looks good and a guy who looks good on paper. But only if she can recognize in time that fear also comes from the heart.

Everyone knows that Sebastian Jones is dangerous. Reports of the women he’s abused have been circulating for years. But as Ella Sweet gets to know him through her church’s young adult group, she begins to wonder how much of what everyone knows is actually true. Is he a nice guy who’s fallen victim to the rumor mill or is she just another sucker? Sebastian knows what everyone knows. He’s determined to convince Ella that despite what she’s heard, he would never hurt her. Just as he begins to earn her trust, a new rumor surfaces. This one hits Sebastian where he’s most vulnerable. He can’t deny it without sounding defensive. He can’t ignore it without looking like he has something to hide.