Refusing to back down from her firm anti-slavery beliefs and feisty ways, Iris Dunleavy openly defies her plantation owning husband, bringing him a great deal of public shame and embarrassment. Unable to "control" his wife and her behavior, he sends her away to be cured at the Sanibel Asylum. Once there, Iris immediately begins to fight for her freedom and clear her name, only to realize that she is forced to once again submit to the demands and controls of another man, Dr. Cowell.

Surrounded by madness, Iris learns the ways of the island and the asylum, befriending Dr. Cowell's son and a fellow patient, Ambrose, who sparks a desire and love within her she thought long lost. Bonded by tragedies that forced them to witness death firsthand, Ambrose and Iris struggle to discover if love is enough to cure one's memory of past tragedy.

The first Goodreads recommended book to disappoint...