Michaela Dunn lives in Cape Cod and dreams of going to the Winslow College of Fine Arts for poetry. When her stepfather refuses to pay for a poetry workshop there, Michaela enters a local contest for a poet to write the dedication plaque for a statue of Captain Benjamin Churchill, a whaler lost at sea over 100 years ago. While researching Churchill, Michaela finds the diary of Leta Townsend from 1862, and uncovers something shocking. Back in 1862, Leta was writing poetry under Churchill's name believing him to be dead when he returns from the sea unscathed. The two fall for each other, but Leta wonders if she's in love with the man or with the person she imagined in her mind.