Morgan Hazzard's life seems to begin the moment her domineering husband, William, suffers a stroke, when she finally receives the space and time to recollect her life. She does so in a series of letters she writes but never mails to her daughters, who are spread out across the world. Morgan realizes her follies, mainly her passivity and dependence, late in life. Only in the year leading up to her 75th birthday does she gain her independence, allowing her to see her family and the world around her much more clearly.