Emily North, an experienced hospice nurse, is fed up with controlling men and predictable jobs. In her search for something more, she volunteers for a medical mission in war-torn Istanbul, Turkey. While trying to focus on herself and the work at hand, she becomes fascinated with surgeon Jake Compton as he applies his considerable skills in the trauma unit under dangerous conditions.But Emily soon discovers Compton has a secret: a covert life in military service which has no room for her--or any woman. Between warring factions and Jake's superiors, Emily struggles to find adventure, herself, and one decent man.