What the Heart Knows

Miranda Jones has always used her head. With her paintings at a major fine art gallery, her journey as a struggling artist is finally paying off. But while her head told her success in a big city was what she wanted, her heart told her a simpler life in a small community would feel like home. What's still missing? And what does her heart know that her head keeps ignoring?

California's Central Coast is growing explosively. Now, in the mid-1990s, tourism is up, but so are environmental regulations. Housing is on the rise, but so are water restrictions. Gambling is limited, but the Chumash tribe lobbies for a gaming casino. The stock market is booming, the upwardly mobile are pouring out of Los Angeles in search of a fresh start, or a weekend getaway. In these affluent, pre-9-11 days, it's a time of infinite possibilities.

Milford-Haven is a town full of characters. Escapees from everywhere have come here with their own agendas and shadowed pasts. The stakes are high. The opportunities are dazzling. It's a town of buried secrets and a dangerous mystery, quaint shops and breathtaking vistas.

What draws people here is the sense that—in their heart of hearts—they know there's something they've always wanted to do. And if not now ... when?