At thirty-eight-years-old, Anne Marie Roche's life is not what she'd expected. She's childless, a recent widow and alone. She owns a successful bookstore on Blossom Street, but despite her accomplishments, her life feels empty. On Valentine's Day, Anne Marie and several other widows get together and decide that each will work on a list of twenty wishes -- things they have always wanted to do.

Anne Marie's list starts with Find one good thing about life, then progresses to learning to knit, doing something good for someone else, and falling in love again. She begins to act on her wishes, and when she volunteers at a local school, eight-year-old Ellen enters her life. The pair develop a relationship that becomes more involved than Anne Marie intended -- and far more important than she could have imagined. As Ellen helps Anne Marie complete her list of twenty wishes, they both learn that wishes can come true, but not necessarily in the way you expect them to.