After her abusive, drug addicted husband threatens her in a fit of rage, Sharon Harris flees Chicago with her toddler son and heads for Huntsville, Alabama, where she plans to begin a new life. Although she possesses nothing other than a change of clothes and a package of diapers for her son, Sharon still feels hopeful for the first time in three years.

As she draws closer to her destination, Sharon encounters a stranger walking alongside the highway to Huntsville. Preston Brooks, whose car has broken down, is an attractive African American fellow Huntsville resident who is kind, saved, and very married. After she offers him a ride to the next exit and they part ways, Sharon cannot help but wonder why she has never met a man like Preston. Soon, Sharon settles into a new existence in Huntsville and only sees Preston at church. Despite their occasional meetings, Sharon secretly harbors feelings for him. But when she offers to tutor his grandson and an unexpected chain of events unfolds, everything changes.