Max is a traveling veterinarian running from his past and turning to the comforting distortion of alcohol and prescription tranquilizers. When the charred remains of a rare sea turtle are found on one of the last untouched barrier islands of the Carolina coast, rent-a-vet Max is just sober enough to question the sheriffs explanation and begin a deeper investigation of his own. As the convergencea celestial alignment that occurs only once every seven yearsand its freak tides and strange currents approaches, Max becomes the unlikely ringleader of an alliance of smugglers, poachers, parolees, and illegals who unite to block a developers plan to build on the island. In an even more unlikely circumstance, he finds himself drawn toward Maggie, a hostess at the liquor house who is as raw and hard as the drinks she serves. When an ex-flame shows up to offer her assistance, Max is faced with a sudden and impossible choice. He can choose to return to the city, wealth, and prominence he left behind when he lost his career to a big mistake, or he can risk a new start in a harsh but beautiful land.