Caleb yearns for freedom, as his plans to leave Honeybrook have been thwarted. He must stay on as caretaker for his father, who was crippled in a wintertime accident. He also longs for Nellie Mae, still hoping that she will return to the Old Order...and to him. Christian Yoder, a young Mennonite man, longs to get to know Nellie Mae better...and to share with her the secrets of her sister Suzy's final days. Rhoda, Nellie's older sister, longs for more of what the world has to offer--from fancy clothes, to her own car, to a new English boyfriend.

Meanwhile, father Reuben Fisher longs for unity--among his family and all the brethren.

Whose longing will be satisfied, and whose will not?