One woman. Two men. What could go wrong? Artist Eva Lindeborg has made her home in a small town on the windswept Oregon coast after fleeing an emotionally abusive marriage. Treasuring tranquility and solitude, her only ambition is the security of tenure in a college art department teeming with internecine politics. But Eva's peace ends abruptly when she falls in love, first with laidback motorcycle mechanic Jackson, a hunk going gently to seed, and then with orderly, controlling environmentalist Dean, both of whom carry their own secrets and wounds. Told with humor and compassion, and unfolding in a community of charming, poignant characters both human and animal, The Sanderlings explores the sometimes tumultuous path of love and the meaning of family.