Roberta Denys thought it would be relatively simple to abandon her affluent Silicon Valley lifestyle and pursue a holy, devout monasticism a life she'd dreamed of since childhood but set aside in favor of marriage and family. Now, having nursed her husband through a lengthy illness, Bertie watches her home burn to the ground on the day of his funeral the work of an arsonist and she knows it is time to go.

And so she goes, moving into a tiny shed in the Santa Cruz Mountains. But with the arsonist still at large and her grown son suspiciously missing, Bertie finds it difficult to leave her world behind, especially with a cell phone that continues to ring, a meddling best friend, and quirky neighbours who insist on invading her solitude. As she struggles to find peace, Bertie learns things about her old life she never wanted to know, and it leaves her with a nagging question: Should she be seeking God, or her lost son?