A recent widowed lawyer is pursued by three formidable but very different women.

Each has something tantalizing to offer him...

All of them can cook up a storm.

Casseroles become their calling cards. Since his own wife never bothered herself in the kitchen, the widower is needy enough to savor their dishes but wary about where their overtures might lead. Unintended miscues and mishaps ensue. For him, rejoining the circle of life becomes a dizzying, if much desired, prospect.

For the women, the pursuit becomes an unexpected journey to empowerment. This wry and wistful take on second chances is full of engaging characters who, in midlife, find themselves longing for new purpose - and more specifically, a lasting relationship.

From across the country, the widower's grown children cast a watchful eye on their father's entanglements but are eventually drawn westward into this enticing family of strangers. And, once the pandemic takes hold, twists and turns accelerate until, crisis resolved, the main characters find who or what most matters.

Set on the shores of California's Central Coast, crucial discoveries come to light. Including how little the widower knew about his deceased wife...

...and a mysterious musician that lives along the boardwalk.