Irene Carson has always been what everyone else needed her to be. She abided by her husband's edicts, raised her daughter through the Depression and War, and took care of whatever needed doing for the church. Now that her daughter has inherited her father's role in his ministry, Irene realizes that Sissy wants her to go on being exactly the same, as becoming to a widow and matron.

Certain that her life is at a turning point but having no means to change the road she's on, Irene is stunned by the gift of a beautiful touring car. Over Sissy's strenuous objections and equipped with maps, sunglasses, and a full tank of gas, she sets out on a road trip all by herself for the first time in her life.

Irene has no goal in mind but to see something new. She gets her wish - and a great deal more.

Join Karin Kallmaker for a journey to California in 1952, where a woman yearns to escape from her conventional, constrained life, and a magical coin is determined to help.

Books in this series can be read in any order.