Jake Madison has always been a likeable guy. He has a ready smile and is slow to anger. Although he had been raised by a stoic father who taught him to value endurance and self-sufficiency, he stopped short of the need to be perfect like his father. That goal in his judgment was unattainable and unnecessary. So, after years of struggling through medical school and his residency he is now firmly entrenched in a medical practice staffed with a highly respected team of doctors. Also, he has paid off his student loans and he can now breathe a little easier, focus on his career, and enjoy himself. Life, as he sees it, should be tempered with laughter and a joyous feeling.
But when his dear friend and mentor Edward Ruley dies, Jake is devastated and lost. Ed had been a dear friend and mentor. Grief-stricken, he seeks comfort from Justina Blake, his best friend and confidant. Unbeknownst to Jake, Justina loves him and yearns for the day when he will see her as more than just a friend. When Jake shows up at Justina’s apartment in tears, her heart goes out to him and they end up sleeping together. When Jake awakes the next morning he is ashamed of what he has done and feels that he has ruined their friendship. He leaves before Justina wakes up and seeks refuge in church for his lax in judgment. He finds his mother there and she convinces him to come home with her and have dinner. Jake has always been close to his mother and he decides to share with her what happened between him and Justina. To Jake’s astonishment his mother understands and shares some things with him about his father that he never knew.
The next day as Jake is walking to the hospital where he has physician’s privileges, he meets Justina and tries to talk to her about what happened between them. She brushes him off and assures him that there’s no need to talk. Jake feels rejected and is convinced that he has now lost two friends.
Prior to Edward Ruley’s death, Jake had met Raven Houston. She was a beautiful new doctor who had joined the medical staff at the hospital. One evening she calls him and invites him to go running at the local high school running track. Hoping that Raven can fill the void in his heart, he accepts and that meeting leads to other dates and eventually to an intense night of passion that Jake had never experienced before with any other woman. Surprisingly, after being with Raven, he feels empty. Something doesn’t feel right, but he can’t put his finger on it. To add to his worries the lost of Justina’s friendship continues to gnaw at him.
Suddenly, good things begin to happen to Jake. He is offered a position as a medical news reporter at one of the local television stations and he learns that Edward Ruley has left him a million dollars in his will. While he has a joyous feeling about his good fortune, it all falls flat without the ability to share the good news with Justina.
After inquiring about Justina’s whereabouts at the hospital and getting no positive feedback, he begins a series of calls to her, but all of his calls go to her voice mail. He then begins an almost daily vigil of the apartment’s parking lot in search of Justina’s car. Weeks go by and her car does not appear nor does she return his calls. He becomes frustrated and depressed. When a concerned co-worker tells him that his normal demeanor has changed and that his behavior might creep into his performance on his television program, Jake realizes that he can’t just mope around. He will need to do some serious investigative work.
Jake checks with the apartment manager and learns that Justina has not moved. He had never met her parents, but he knew her father was a dentist. He searches and successfully locates his number. They tell him where she is. As Jake races to talk to Justina and confess his love for her, he’ll learn a valuable lesson: The highest form of love occurs when one gives oneself to another. Sometimes there is collateral damage, but sometimes miracles