Based on a true story, "Dearest You" is a historical romance set during World War II in Minnesota.
Arvee is not your typical 1940s girl-she left her small town to attend a big city nursing school, with every intention of becoming an independent woman. Back in her small town, her options for marriage were tainted by the shame of being a product of divorced parents, a cheating high school boyfriend, and a town doctor with frisky hands. Her beliefs are only reinforced after a cocky, young Navy pilot bursts in on her and her girlfriends unannounced, finding them in their undergarments as they were preparing for a night out on the town. Things quickly go from bad to worse when George-who is supposed to be Avree's blind date-turns up with a loud, obnoxious redhead. By the end of the evening, Arvee wants absolutely nothing to do with Cadet George Enloe, but George has other ideas.
Stationed in Pearl Harbor, George can't get Arvee-and her long, lovely legs-off his mind. Deciding he needed to get in touch with her, he writes to her in hopes of rekindling their relationship. When three letters go unanswered, disappointment begins to set in, but December 7, 1941, changes everything. When the news of what occurred at Pearl Harbor reached Arvee, she was instantly motivated to write back to George, hoping he was alright. Her letter sparks regular correspondence between the two, leading to their unexpected friendship. Arvee began to look forward to George's poems and often shared them with her nursing buddies-who were infamously called the Four Musketeers.
After two years of flying combat missions in the South Pacific, George-now a war hero-was put on leave and finally returned to Minneapolis. He yearned to see Arvee but also knew he had to respect her insistence on remaining "just friends." However, George had a plan to convince her that they were meant for each other, even though Arvee's letters strongly discouraged his romantic fantasies. But George quickly learned his dreams could turn upside down when he realized he not only had competition from a handsome doctor, but Arvee had also just enlisted in the Army Nurse Corps. George had only three weeks to make his intentions known, so he set into action to woo Arvee away from the Army-and the handsome doctor-to become his wife. Arvee struggled to stay focused on her goals of independence, but her once strong desire began to fade as she grew closer to George. Her defenses melt like the bitter winter snow of Minnesota giving way to spring. Maybe a girl can have both?