Isabelle lives alone in a big city with her two cats, and runs a shabby book store in a bohemian area of town. Her life consists of a set of dull daily rituals: breakfast at her local coffee shop, reading classical romance novels, and talking to her long-distance foster sister Jennifer every evening on the telephone. Everything changes when Isabelle's ex-lover James appears at her store. Her life instantly fills with excitement and color, and although Jennifer is frantic with worry, Isabelle becomes lost in a fantasy world with her supposed soul mate. The relationship is emotionally abusive, however, and Isabelle begins to self-destruct. Jennifer puts her own life on hold and drives across the country to save her foster sister, bringing a secret from their shared past... Isabelle's lover can't possibly be James.