One year after Joanna Sullivan's husband Kyle, a fireman, dies after saving two young children while fighting a house fire, Joanna makes a desperate attempt to start over. She moves to a new town, embarks on a new career as a field guide at the local coastal aquarium, and attempts to refurbish the dilapidated duplex she's purchased. Then Austin, her husband's brother, visits unexpectedly. He offers to stay and help her with the much needed repairs. Joanna soon discovers, however, that Austin's presence is proving more disturbing than helpful. His resemblance to Kyle is uncanny, thwarting her resolve to put her husband's memory to rest. Worse, she is strongly attracted to Austin. Austin, a veterinarian, shares Joanna's love of nature, and the two find much common ground as they team up to help clean up the beaches and save the native birds and wildlife from the encroachment of civilization. Can Joanna let go of her grief and love Austin in his own right? Or will he always remain the ghost of her husband?