The town of Windward, located on an island in Puget Sound, is facing economic hardship with few tourists coming to the island. Among the family businesses hit hard are McBride's Diner and Duval Boulangerie, now operated by second generation Annie McBride and Matt Duval respectively, they who have been best friends since they were children. Annie, who aspired to be a painter when she lived and studied in Paris, only came back to Windward when her father fell ill, she taking over the diner upon his passing, it not being her original plan. Walter Rasmussen, the town's mayor and chief business booster, including of his own businesses, tries to capitalize on the fact that wealthy benefactress Kathryn Dean, who owns property on the island, has brought the Philip Chandler ballet company from Seattle to rehearse on the island. While Philip ends up having his eye on Annie, Matt, who has never had a serious girlfriend in Annie believing he seeking the myth of perfection, is immediately attracted to Nicole, the company's lead dancer. While Matt had admittedly only been an adequate bread maker, he all of a sudden becomes an expert bread maker, his very French father Jean Pierre Duval who believes it's because he's in love, that passion which is translating into his bread making. His unforgettable breads become the basis for the tourist boom back to the island and the island's upward economic fortunes. But with whatever is happening between Matt and Nicole being fleeting at best in they living in two totally different worlds in more ways than one, the townsfolk believe they have to keep the love within Matt alive for their own economic benefit, those closest to them who have long been able to see that Matt and Annie are truly in love with each other if they both will only open their eyes to it.
