When Evelyn receives a deathbed letter from her mother, Melanie, instructing her to keep an eye on her dad, Paddy, there's nothing Evelyn can do but take the words to heart. Evelyn's mother knew Paddy well enough to worry. Their marriage was Paddy's cornerstone of strength, and Melanie knows her death will profoundly affect her dedicated husband. With Melanie gone-and Evelyn living many miles away from her father-there is no one to watch over Paddy. Evelyn does her best, but she can't be by his side every second. She hopes he'll find someone to love. When he meets Charlene, it looks like he may have found a passionate companion, but their love does much more than move Paddy's heart. His new relationship ignites a passion in his soul that inspires him to seek out his unfulfilled accomplishment of becoming a playwright. He's been through the gamut of prosperity and pain, he has much to write, and, most importantly, he knows how to laugh through his trouble. He's finally ready to share his wisdom with an audience. Despite difficulties, health problems, and his own impending mortality, Paddy is consumed by his goal to fulfill his lifelong dream.