When Ariel Leigh leads her humanitarian group on a recovery mission in Japan, she soon discovers more challenges than she bargained for. Earthquakes, tsunamis, typhoons, mudslides, a conservative society, and the disintegration of her own marriage all work in conjunction to make this one of the most difficult missions of Ariel's life. Only the blossoming romance between Ariel and a shy villager, Reina Nakamura, gives Ariel the strength and determination to see her mission through. However, when one catastrophe after another bombards her team, she soon learns how easy it is to pay the ultimate price.