The story begins in 2002 in Rocky Mount, North Carolina. Adrienne Willis, a part-time librarian and divorced mother of three, is helping her daughter, Amanda, cope with depression. Amanda is having problems coping with the loss of her husband and is having difficulties raising her three children. In an effort to show that life goes on despite trying times, Adrienne tells her daughter the story of her relationship with Paul Flanner, whom she met in 1988.

At forty-five, Adrienne Willis was facing heartache when her husband abandons her for a younger woman. She parented their children alone and took care of her sick father. This had worn her down. So when an opportunity came, she agreed to tend to a friend’s inn for the weekend in a small coastal town of Rodanthe, North Carolina, searching for a respite. But when a major storm starts moving in, it appears that Adrienne's perfect getaway will be ruined -- until a guest named Paul Flanner arrives.

At fifty-four, Paul has just sold his medical practice and come to Rodanthe to escape his own shattered past. A successful surgeon, he has recently divorced from his wife, and has had a patient die while in his care.

Now, with the storm closing in, two wounded people will turn to each other for comfort -- and in one weekend set in motion feelings that will resonate throughout the rest of their lives.

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author Nicholas Sparks comes a tender story of hope and joy; of sacrifice and forgiveness -- a moving reminder that love is possible at any age, at any time, and often comes when we least expect it.