After the death of his Aunt Rose, Julian Cross arrives in the snowy town of Whitfield with the intent of a brief, six-week stay to renovate her dilapidated home. Haunted by the memory of his late wife and an estranged relationship with his daughter, Lily, Julian finds his walls of isolation crumbling under the persistent kindness of the local community. Emma Hart, a resilient café owner also grappling with past loss, becomes an unexpected source of strength and romantic intrigue as they work together through the harsh winter. Comparable works include The House in the Cerulean Sea