Toy Sooner, a single mother and marine biologist opening a turtle rehab facility with the help of a director at the South Carolina Aquarium, must find a way to deal with the return of her daughter's vindictive father, who has just been released from prison.

A tale exploring themes of class, women's rights and domestic abuse in the 1970s American South shares the story of The Beach House's Lovie Rutledge, who reflects on a summer during which a beach vacation to escape her unfaithful, disdainful husband culminates in a fateful romance with a handsome biologist.