The novel follows the relationship of photographer Mackensie "Mac" Elliot and English teacher[discuss] Carter Maguire. Mac and her childhood friends Parker, Emma, and Laurel are the founders of Vows, a fictional wedding planning company in Connecticut. While accompanying his sister to a planning session at Vows, Carter renews his acquaintance with Mac and confesses that he had been infatuated with her since high school. She is intrigued by his honesty and earnestness and decides to embark on a casual fling with him. After seeing her parents' numerous failed marriages, Mac does not trust the idea of commitment. Her determination to avoid emotional intimacy is reinforced as she struggles against her mother's continued tactics of emotional manipulation. Their relationship progresses slowly through the book. Each protagonist receives much advice from a large circle of friends and family. With the support of her friends and Carter, Mac develops the courage to stand up to her mother. By the end of the novel, she realizes that she does not have to relive her parents' mistakes, and chooses to embrace her love for Carter.