The Internet: a cyber-playground in which we can be—or not be—whomever we want. Yearning for escape from her stagnant job in a Cincinnati publishing company, thirty-eight year-old Cara Shannon frequents the message boards of an eclectic online radio station where she meets a host of unique people—including the mysterious "saffire_21," whom she begins to suspect is her niece Arianna. There's only one problem: Arianna has been dead for seven years. Although it seems far-fetched and insane, Cara is driven to learn the truth about her niece. Was Arianna's death staged? Should their family have questioned the mysterious circumstances surrounding it? With the support of Kevin, her intriguing and attentive cyber-crush from Santa Barbara, Cara ventures into the scenic wine country of California's Central Coast in search of saffire_21. On her journey, unexpected discoveries about love and life emerge, bringing her own future into focus like never before.

A difficult breakup is the catalyst that forces Cara to examine increasingly intolerable issues in her life: men who won’t commit, a sterile office job that never moves upward, and the endless tasks of home owning that she has forged through alone for the last decade. Surprisingly, it is her online friends who offer temporary escape from the stagnation blues with their quirky personalities, humorous posts, and ability to be present day and night. Among them is Kevin Tierney, the intriguing and playful designer from Santa Barbara who takes a keen interest in her. In the middle of a long, gray, Ohio winter, Kevin’s emails and phone calls brighten Cara’s days. They also provide an outlet in which she discovers that it is time to break out of her comfort zone and either find a new job, a new place to live, or both.

But another member of the online community—saffire_21—also catches Cara’s attention by exhibiting the speech and behavior of her niece Arianna, who died seven years prior. Even Cara’s older sister Jenn agrees that saffire’s online conversations bear an eerie resemblance to their niece’s highly peculiar personality. Receiving a lucky tip-off that saffire may be working at a California winery, Cara takes a welcome sabbatical and travels through the Golden State in search of her. She finally meets Kevin in person, and the two end up developing stronger feelings for each other than expected.

As the path through stunning California landscapes brings them closer to saffire_21 and the possibility of the dead coming back to life, Kevin and Cara reflect on their own mortality and how to best spend their time left on earth. Having already strayed from society’s “normal” conventions, they are faced with the challenge of finally determining which paths will lead to their ultimate fulfillment in life.