When her next door neighbor and close family friend, Nick, moves from Birmingham to New Zealand after a tragedy befalls his family, Miranda thinks she'll never see him again. Nearly ten years later, she is getting ready to finish college and feeling apathetic about her future, when suddenly, as if by fate, Nick is back in her life. The two begin a whirlwind romance, and before she knows it, Miranda finds herself quitting college and moving halfway across the world. She begins a new life with her childhood friend, who has grown into a confident, handsome and serious young man with dark eyes and a promising future. However, it doesn't take long before paradise begins to look like something else entirely, as Miranda discovers her young lover has more than his share of secrets, and that the darkness resides in more than just his eyes.Driven by a desperate need to protect them both, Miranda draws inward, carefully navigating the minefield that has become her reality. She finds herself stuck, crippled by loyalty, embarrassment and shame. When she meets Hemi Morrison, a vibrant, artistic soul who seems to be polar opposite of Nick, Miranda sees a light in the darkness. But as their delicate, honest friendship grows, circumstances beyond their control turn both Miranda and Hemi's worlds upside down. Can they survive past pain and future grief and come out unscathed? Or will they be ripped apart?Set in the lush, green North Island of New Zealand, Aroha is a story of friendship, endurance, grief and love, but most importantly, of rising from the depths to find the quiet strength that lies within.