After losing her daughter Charlotte to a rare genetic disorder, life for Sukey Forbes is completely shattered. As devastated as she is, Forbes searches for ways to deal with her grief. She wants desperately to recover a full, meaningful life on the private island of Naushon where she and her family live. Forbes begins exploring her family's rich history of spiritual seekers, including her great-great-great grandfather, Ralph Waldo Emerson, who similarly lost a young child.