Caroline Venable has everything her Southern heritage promised: money, prestige, a rich husband. If she drinks a little too much and her 20-year marriage to successful land developer, Clay, seems a little empty, well, she's doing what she was born to do: be the chatelaine of a magnificent home and hostess to her husband's friends and prospective clients.

Her numbing routine of country-club luncheons, cocktail parties, and increasing isolation is interrupted, however, when Caro finds out that her tycoon husband plans to build a resort on a beautiful untouched island in South Carolina's low country. The island is a quiet haven, rich in lowcountry history and meaningful memories from Caro's youth. But most important to her, his plans will mean the devastation of a band of wild ponies that roam freely across the island. Spurred to action and inspired with new purpose, Caro must confront the life she has been leading and reach deep within herself to save this special place out of her past and, ultimately, make a meaningful life for herself.