Set in the 1950s, The Long Way Home takes readers on a nostalgic journey with the townspeople of Tilden, a quaint community in Madison County, Nebraska. At the center of the story is Maggie Davis, a middle-aged widow, and heiress to a grand Victorian manor. The stately home, which Maggie shares with her spunky nine-year-old daughter Jenna, also serves as a bed-and-breakfast to a once regular, but now transitory, clientele. The kitchen table is the epicenter of lively conversation at the manor, where no topics are off-limits. Maggie's out-spoken, spinster neighbor delights in keeping everyone on guard with her opinionated tirades, but she is frequently reined in by an elderly, equally forthright family member who has recently become a permanent dweller at the manor. Maggie finds herself struggling with the painful memories of her husband's tragic death, as well as the stirrings in her heart associated with a new house guest. A scandalous scheme to swindle Maggie out of her property rides on the heels of a sudden, unexpected death, pointing to a member of the family as a suspect. Set against the backdrop of humor, tragedy, and love, the story culminates with an emotional twist.