No More Secrets

Summer Lentz, an associate editor for Indulgence magazine, travels from Manhattan to the small town of Blue Moon Bend for a week-long assignment at Pierce Acres, an organic farm. Still recovering from a serious illness, Summer is warned by her best friend, the photographer Nikolai “Niko” Vulkov, not to overexert herself. The farm is run by Carter Pierce, a military veteran who is annoyed by the intrusion and plans to show Summer the harsh reality of farm life. When they meet, however, they feel an immediate and intense attraction.

Carter gives Summer a tour of his renovated farmhouse. While she is impressed by the home, he remains guarded, only revealing that he considers the farm his sanctuary. A small connection forms when Carter moves her rental car and recognizes a piece of classical music she was playing, one that had comforted him during his own recovery after returning from Afghanistan. That evening, Carter’s mother, Phoebe, and his younger brother, Beckett, who is a lawyer and the town’s mayor, join them for dinner. Beckett’s open flirting with Summer prompts a protective Carter to privately tell his brother to back off. The farm’s reserved horse manager, Joey, also attends but leaves abruptly when Phoebe shows Summer a photo of Carter’s estranged youngest brother, Jackson, known as Jax. Phoebe explains that Joey and Jax were high school sweethearts before he suddenly left town eight years ago.

Summer’s immersion into farm life begins with a tour of the stables, where Joey and Carter playfully coax her into her first horseback ride. She also meets the farm’s animals, including a mischievous goat named Clementine who eats a hole in her designer jeans, and two pigs, Dixie and Hamlet, who play fetch. During an interview, Carter discusses the farm’s organic philosophy and alludes to his own healing journey. Determined to prove herself, Summer endures a physically grueling afternoon harvesting lettuce alongside Carter and Beckett, refusing to quit despite the pain. Afterward, Carter finds her sore and exhausted. He gives her a back rub, which creates a moment of intense sexual tension, and bandages the blisters on her feet.

Carter takes Summer into Blue Moon for dinner, where they are spotted by members of the “Beautification Committee,” a local matchmaking group that immediately targets them. At Peace of Pizza, Carter explains he became a vegetarian after rescuing the pigs. Their conversation is interrupted when a waitress reveals that Phoebe has a new boyfriend, which is news to Carter. The family dynamics are further complicated by the unexpected return of Jax, who tells Summer he came back after a Google alert for the farm led him to a photo of Joey on her blog. Jax discovers his mother with a man, Franklin, and summons his brothers. The three men, with Summer in tow, confront Phoebe and Franklin. Later, when Joey sees Jax for the first time, he kisses her passionately, and she responds by slapping him.

Carter, concerned about Summer’s work stress, takes her on a sunset horseback ride where they share a romantic, hand-holding moment. Her appreciation for Blue Moon deepens when the entire town mobilizes to help an elderly farmer, Carson, after he breaks his leg. Moved by the display of community, Summer calls her parents, a conversation that highlights her strained relationship with her father, who disapproves of her career. She confides in Carter about her father’s disappointment, and he, in turn, shares that he suffered from PTSD after the war and that the community helped him heal. This shared vulnerability leads to their first passionate kiss. Their relationship quickly becomes physical, with a series of intense encounters at the farmhouse. During one, they initially forget a condom, and Summer reveals she is not on birth control.

Carter experiences a vivid nightmare about a traumatic mission in Afghanistan. Summer comforts him, and their emotional intimacy deepens, leading to another night of passion. They agree to an exclusive relationship, a secret Jax immediately uncovers after finding her boots and jeans left on the porch. In a pivotal moment for the family, Jax proposes converting an old barn into a brewery named for their father, John Pierce Brews, and his brothers agree on the condition that he is back for good.

Carter visits Summer in New York City for a weekend. At a gallery opening for her magazine, he witnesses the superficiality of her world. He physically confronts a model who gropes Summer, pinning the man against a wall in the men's room and demanding he apologize. After the event, Summer confides her secret ambition to Carter: she plans to leave Indulgence to start her own digital magazine focused on wellness. That night, Carter has another nightmare and tells Summer the full story of his last mission, where a target killed a seven-year-old girl before Carter killed him and was shot himself. Deeply moved, Summer tells Carter she loves him, and he confesses he has felt the same since they met. The next morning, Carter finds Summer’s daily pills. He tells her she can confide in him when she is ready, but she panics, deciding to keep her cancer diagnosis a secret.

During the magazine’s photo shoot back at the farm, Carter makes a casual comment about their future children, which sends Summer into a panic. Fearing her medical history, which includes a cancer diagnosis with a potential for recurrence and infertility, will deny Carter the future he deserves, she abruptly ends their relationship. A heartbroken Carter sees through her excuses but lets her go. As she flees, a sobbing Summer is briefly comforted by Beckett before she rushes home to New York.

When the September issue of Indulgence is released, Summer is horrified to find that her boss, Katherine Ackerman, has replaced her article with a sensationalized piece sexualizing the Pierce brothers and mentioning Carter’s PTSD, all under Summer’s byline. Summer confronts Katherine, who offers her a promotion in exchange for the brothers’ contact information. Instead, Summer quits. She goes home and writes a viral blog post revealing her resignation, her adult Hodgkin lymphoma diagnosis, her fears, and her love for Carter. She attaches her original, unpublished story to the post.

The next day, Summer learns from her oncologist that she is still cancer-free. Outside the doctor’s office, Carter is waiting for her, having been alerted by Niko. Summer tells him everything, including her fears about infertility. Carter reassures her that his love is unconditional and that they can build a family in many ways. They reconcile just as Summer receives a call from her father. Two weeks later, Summer has moved to Blue Moon to launch her digital magazine from the farm. Her parents visit, and she has an emotional, healing reunion with her father.

Five years later, Carter and Summer are married with three-year-old twins, Meadow and John. Summer’s online magazine is a success, and the John Pierce Brews is thriving. On the fifth anniversary of Summer being declared cancer-free, Carter surprises her with a romantic evening. They reflect on their chaotic but perfect life, their love for each other reaffirmed, before Clementine the goat makes a comical escape, interrupting their moment.