On a cold Sunday morning in mid-October Ellis Williams decides to end her life by jumping off a bridge. With the silver compass, representing comfort and strength, clutched in her hand she jumps. As she’s being engulfed by the strong current of the river she is pulled to safety by Louie Johnson who just happened to be out in his boat on this cold October morning. Clearly this was not meant to be the day she was to die. Little did Louie know but he had saved two lives that Sunday morning, Ellis's and her unborn child's.

Fifteen years later, after living in Dallas with her husband and daughter, circumstances have brought Ellis back to the small town of Barrow, Montana. After the sudden death of her husband, Mark, she has no other option but to move back in with her mother until she is able to get back on her feet financially.

Ellis struggles with emotions from the past. Her father’s desertion left her scarred; maybe with a new perspective on the past Ellis will be able to begin to shape a solid future for both herself and her daughter, Hadley. With her future stretched ahead of her like a foggy mist Louie Johnson once again enters into her life.

The Silver Compass is a story of loss, grief, and growth. A beautifully written story filled to overflowing with deep meaning.