Charlotte Brantley, at the age of thirty-six, has given up all thoughts of men or romance - for herself. The characters she creates for her books keep her busy enough that she doesn't think she needs the real-life version to complicate her nice, quiet life. But then she meets the man she hadn't realized she'd been longing for. Edouard de Lisle is a professor at the local university whose specialty is exactly the information Charley needs. In fact, he has the answers to questions Charley hasn't even thought up yet With a little help from their friends - and Charley's dog Friedl - they discover the joys of collaboration.