For the young women in the class of '57, it was a time of leaving behind nostalgic memories of jukeboxes and summer nights for the hopes, dreams, and uncertainties of the future. Karissa Hill, a popular member of Summerwind High’s pep squad, thought she got the best when she eloped with the boy of her dreams. But then she discovers a dark side. Keeping her deeply troubled marriage a secret until graduation, she watches helplessly as her friends go off to jobs, business college, and the university. Her own struggle for personal identity and worth becomes a battle for survival following a tragic accident that leaves her alone—but not quite. Ideals and dreams fade for Karissa, and she cannot be sheltered from past choices. But what was the promise of a future? A door of hope and love opens, but can she find the courage to walk through it?

For the Young Women in the class of '57 It Was a Time of Leaving Behind Nostalgic Memories of Jukeboxes and Summer Nights for the Hopes, Dreams and Uncertainties of the Future. Retta McCarron's dream upon graduation from Summerwind High was to help her father preserve their family legacy from falling into the hands of strangers. As the orange groves around them are being sold off to developers and investors, Retta's love for the orchard is more than just a way to make a living—it is her life. But their cherished life inside the privet hedge surrounding the grove cannot withstand the forces of change already in progress. When her uncle must sell his half of the grove to an investor from the East, she is powerless to prevent it. Then the handsome young man, Alan Conrad, comes to take possession of the land. But is that all he wants?

For the young women in the class of '57, it was a time of leaving behind nostalgic memories of jukeboxes and summer nights for the hopes, dreams, and uncertainties of the future. Graduating with valedictorian honors from Summerwind High, Amy Weaver had felt only sadness and disappointment when her father showed no joy over her four-year nursing scholarship. She often longed to hear words of love from the man who had worn the same stoic expression for as long as she could remember. When Amy is called home from college to care for her mother, who passes away suddenly from surgical complications, she is left alone to sort through her father's papers and files. In doing so, she discovers both a shocking secret her mother kept and a mystery of her father's. But even more than that, Amy discovers the love that unlocks the door to true love.