Lost in a Costa Rican jungle for twenty-four hours, Stella is starting to lose hope—until she meets a mangy, emaciated stray dog. She has never liked dogs, but this one seems determined to stay by her side. Over the course of the next three days, the dog (whom she names Dirty) places himself between Stella and danger time and time again, leads her to water, and finally helps her to find her rescuers.
When Stella is airlifted out of the jungle, the rescuers refuse to take Dirty with them despite Stella's violent protestations. Back home in Texas, Stella is tortured by thoughts of Dirty standing on the beach, waiting for her to return. She's forced to make a choice-does she try to move on with her life without Dirty, or does she return to the jungle that almost killed her in order to look for him?
