Rose Rabinowitz has spent her entire adult life burdened by a deep sense of guilt, relating to the circumstances surrounding her father's death. Her relationships with men have ended badly, and Rose sees herself as "damaged goods." Then Abe Stolper enters her life--a shy, introverted scientist with his own dark secret and sense of shame. Meanwhile, Rose's elderly mother--now in a nursing home--lives with the truth of what really happened to Rose's father. As their battered lives intersect, Rose and Abe slowly come to trust one another, and begin a painful journey toward love and redemption.