There was a gigantic, explosive, complicated crash and then a delicate tinkle and then silence. Ian couldn't even blink, couldn't move, because once he moved then time would start rolling forward again, and he already knew that nothing in his life would ever be the same."[Saint Maybe]

When Ian Bedloe heard the sound of his older brother's car crashing, he knew that he would never again have the same innocent existence he had enjoyed for 18 years. His life would be filled with guilt for causing his brother's death. Five minutes before the crash, Ian had told Danny that his wife was cheating on him. This revelation took 10 seconds, but it would change Ian's life forever.

To deal with the death of a loved one, let alone one you caused, is a horrible and difficult experience. Ian Bedloe has only begun when his brother's wife also dies, leaving behind three children. Ian's parents do not want to take in the children, but are forced to because they have no other family. Ian, only 18 years old and just beginning college, decides to sacrifice his future for the children. He quits school, lives at home and cares for the children as if he were their father. Only now does the plot in Saint Maybe really begin, for now Ian's new life begins.

The rest of the novel takes the reader through the trials and tribulations of Ian's "parenthood." In this charming and surprising story, Ian strives to be a good "father" to the children while attempting to forgive himself for the tragedy he caused.