This is the first book of the love trilogy. The story begins in 2017 when a mysterious box is given to Bonnye, a college senior. This opening is followed by the events written in a World War I journal by a young and privileged Lieutenant James Sinclair, and the chronological diary entries of Elizabeth (Elle) Hancock in the 1960s. Through her diaries she confronts the death of her hero, decides to be a nurse, and learns to cope with tragedy and loss. In the final chapter, she meets sixty-five-year-old Dr. Sinclair, now a college professor.