Giving advice is what Julieanne does for a living -- every Sunday in a column in her local paper. But in her own life, Julie missed some clues. She is completely caught off guard when her husband, Leo, tells her he needs to go on a "sabbatical" from their life together, leaving Julie with their three children. Things worsen when Julie is diagnosed with a serious illness and the children undertake a dangerous journey to find Leo -- before it's too late. As the known world sinks from view, the clan must work their way back to solid ground and to a new definition of family.