In the original Snow Queen story, the queen did much more damage than simply freezing a city.

Gia’s stepmother was cold and distant, a woman with very definite ideas of what was acceptable and not—especially for her son, Colin. Her cruelty hurt both children but was worse for Colin, making him blind to his talents and his passion.

Colin put as much distance as possible between his mother and himself as soon as he could, but the damage she inflicted was done. His art, something he once loved to do, now caused him pain. He had found success as an actuary and stayed in touch with Gia, but creating art was no longer a part of his life.

Gia, a high school teacher, knows Colin is not doing work he loves. He should be painting. She watched him draw in secret for years, his talent overwhelming. Deciding she’s the only one who can help him, Gia gets Colin to agree to let her stay with him for her summer vacation. She claims she needs time and space to write, but she has two other goals as well.

Her plan is to reintroduce art to his life and pose for him, hoping that this will change his life, and determine once and for all if his passion–and theirs–have a chance.