Collateral damage. That is how a shattered Darlene Donahue feels when actor Peter Chandler walks out on her after a five-year relationship. Transitioning from a hit television show to filmmaking, he has always said he wanted to put the past five years behind him. She just didn't know that included her. With Peter gone, Darlene, after a breakdown, is forced to pull herself together. She then makes a life-altering decision to leave L.A. taking her secrets with her. Once back home in Illinois, she confides in her mother and prepares for a new life-a life that does not include Peter Chandler, or does it? Over the next ten years, Darlene grows into an independent woman who takes charge of her life. She eventually describes the hurt as 'no longer an open wound, but more like a permanent scar'. She finds her dream job at an up and coming magazine where, under a pen name, she writes a monthly column, called "Dreamin' With Dee". She also tries love again, but Peter and their deep-seated connection constantly hover in the background. It's something she can't shake, no matter the distance between them or the passage of time. Does Peter feel it? She isn't sure. One thing's for certain-as life throws her unexpected curves, Darlene learns to stand tall, all on her own.