Twenty-year-old Celia Thatcher, inconsolable after the unexpected and hurtful death [of] her closest friend, is sent by her parents in the autumn of 1876 to work in the bookstore of family friends. Her parents hope the new surroundings in Massachusetts will help her regain a happy outlook on life. There she meets an elite, but unkempt Bostonian turned hermit. Her employer wants her to treat Edward Lyons, a regular customer, respectfully, but another woman in the store warns Celia away from this man who has strayed from belief in the God of the Bible. Celia also meets a charming Harvard law student, Charles Harrod, who is sympathetic to Transcendental thought. Charles and Edward vie for honors on Celia's behalf. She is challenged to choose between her twoloves : an unbelieving man and her God --
