To most people, Folly Beach, South Carolina, is simply the last barrier island before the Atlantic Ocean. To some, it's a sanctuary, which is why Janie Hamilton's mother encourages her to buy the local bookstore, Folly's Finds, hoping it will distract Janie from the loss of her husband in Afghanistan.

Though she resists at first, Janie finds a box of love letters and an image of a beautiful bottle tree at Folly's Finds. That box seals the deal, but the store's seller has a condition: Janie must allow Lulu, the late owner's sister, to continue selling her bottle trees from the store's backyard. Janie quickly agrees. She had grown up with one in her backyard, so for Janie, it had always been a source of refuge. Janie sifts through her old love letters, and Lulu sells her bottle trees -- neither of them paying much attention to the other. But as details of the love letters are revealed, the women discover that circumstances have brought them together -- and it is here on Folly Beach that their war-ravaged hearts can find hope and second chances . . .