Attempting to run from an abusive relationship, Kate finds herself caught in a late winter storm. Her mind is in turmoil, switching from anger and resentment for the man she just left to fear and loneliness at the thought of starting over on her own. She walks on, with no heavy coat to keep her warm and nowhere in particular to go. She expects the storm will take her to an early grave. On the verge of collapsing, she suddenly finds herself on the back of a horse with a stranger who shows her kindness by taking her to an abandoned cabin in the woods.

JD just wants to get home when he comes across the mysterious woman alone on the trail. He is fighting the wind and the cold, and his own thoughts of disappointment and regret. He still has a long way to go, but something about her made him stop that night to help. His personal responsibility lies elsewhere, but now he can't stop thinking about her. And when tragedy strikes a few short days later, he is left with no other choice but to run straight to her for help.

Set in rural Ontario, Winter Thaw is the story of these friends fighting with their own sordid pasts and trying to move forward in a time when everyone carries a gun. JD is struggling with who he is and who he wants to become. Kate will have to face her own demons if she wants to get on with her life, with or without her new friends.