Synopsis
Polly O'Keefe will never forget the summer she met Max-no matter how hard she tries.
Sixteen-year-old Polly is on her way to a conference on the island of Cyprus, where she will work as a gofer. The trip was arranged by Maximiliana Horne, a rich, brilliant artist who returned a year ago with her longtime companion, Dr. Ursula Heschel, to her antebellum mansion on Benne Seed Island and became the O'Keefes' neighbor. Max and Polly formed an instant friendship and Max took over Polly's education, giving her the encouragement and confidence that her isolated upbringing had not. Polly adored Max, even idolized her, until Max betrayed her. Alone during a three-day stopover in Athens, Polly tries to figure out what went wrong with Max, to understand how Max could hurt her so much.
The arrival of Zachary Gray, a wealthy and handsome young man determined to spend all his time with Polly, only complicates her thinking as she remembers events on Benne Seed while he shows her the sights. Leaving Athens behind, Polly still cannot forgive Max and yet she is torn by the knowledge that soon she may not have the chance to, even if she wants it. In Cyprus, while preparing for the conference, Polly becomes friends with Virginia Porcher, a writer she has always admired; Omio Heno, a vibrant young man from the island of Baki; and other remarkable delegates, from whom Polly learns she is not the only one who has suffered. Then Zachary shows up and, because of his own arrogance and cowardliness, leads her into danger.
In the healing company of her new friends, Polly realizes that it is all right to have contradictory feelings about someone, and that on the other side of pain there is still love."
