Robert Kincaid is a man with little but memories - memories of a lonely existence lived mostly on the road and memories of Francesca Johnson, the woman whose passion he stirred so briefly and with such power. Searching for something undefined, something to give meaning to the rest of his life, Kincaid takes to the road again, heading once more for Roseman Bridge in Madison County, Iowa, the place of his great love affair.

A climbing holiday has brought David Jones to the West Coast of Scotland. Fate has introduced him to Donald. As the days grow into weeks, he finds that fishing for lobster and herring is unlike anything he has done before. As he progresses from being a Green Hand to a practised fisherman, David takes to his new life with relish. The days of his strict chapel-going home in Wales are far behind him. Fishing has become his one obsession

Jane had always lived in somebody's shadow. Escaping a childhood of abuse by marrying oceanographer Oliver Jones, she finds herself taking second place to his increasingly successful career. However, when her daughter Rebecca is similarly treated, Jane's dramatic stand takes them all by surprise. Leaving Oliver and his whale tapes behind in San Diego, Jane and America set out to drive across America to Uncle Joley and the sanctuary of the Massachusetts apple orchard where he works. Joley directs Jane across the United States in a series of letters waiting for her in designated post offices. Each letter gives concise directions and a chance for Jane to reflect on her forgotten past.