The Pear Orchard

Isabelle Ronaldo and Frank Tomas have been best friends since childhood. They are everything to each other.

Navigating the rivers of Europe, Isabelle is proud to have become Spectrum River Cruise Line's first female captain. But her tradition-filled life at the rambling farmhouse amid the pear orchards in southern France is what truly feeds her soul.

Brilliant and restless, Frank feels indifferent about his job at the Swiss branch of his father's bank. Isabelle never dreamt he would actually pursue his childhood ambition to be a jewelry thief. And ultimately, to protect what she values most, she gives up a part of herself and closes the door on Frank.

But it is nearly impossible for Isabelle to avoid Frank when he boards her riverboat and shows up at the Valentine's ball in an elegant Strasbourg hotel.

Also in Strasbourg, now-retired family court judge Tracey Lauch is traveling alone for the first time since falling in love with the woman who makes him feel like his life is normal. Making his way to the Gothic Cathédrale Notre-Dame, a chatty redhead invites herself to join him. She thinks he is charming. But he would like to silence her-permanently.

Late that evening, in a narrow alley with the rain reflecting off the dimly lit cobblestones, everyone's world falls apart.