Stymied by her contentious older brother, a brooding father and overbearing mother, Aoife Braddock also struggles against a tendency to crumble when bullied, unable to understand why the weakness strikes only under certain circumstances. Two facets of life propel her to push forward. She dreams of one day becoming a doctor, and shares her heart with the young man she first kissed in sixth grade.

Aoife’s parents abandon Prince Edward Island to fulfill their son’s education goals. She refuses to follow and takes residence with an aunt and uncle, though the move derails her pursuit of a medical degree. When Mrs. Braddock suffers a major health crisis, she requires constant care, forcing Aoife to relocate hundreds of miles from home, leave her boyfriend behind and settle for a career as a paramedic. Days after they make wedding plans, she loses contact with her fiancée after a mysterious calamity strikes, left to worry whether he made a safe return to Canada.

Within weeks, her adopted hometown disintegrates into chaos. Attempts at providing proper medical care become ineffective or pointless without the assistance of hospitals, inciting her to experience a loss of self-worth. Aoife faces an impossible choice when a town bully threatens the Braddock’s neighborhood. Trained as a first responder to save lives, she now has to take them to defend her loved ones.