As the only female firefighter in her Texas firehouse, Cassie Hanswell is excellent at dealing with other people's tragedies. But she never anticipated that her estranged and ailing mother would ask her move to Boston. The tough, old-school Boston firehouse is as different from Cassie's old job as it could possibly be. Hazing, a lack of funding, and poor facilities mean that the firemen aren't exactly thrilled to have a "lady" on the crew, even one as competent and smart as Cassie. Only the rookie doesn't seem to mind having Cassie around. Her old captain gave her some advice: don't date firefighters. Will she jeopardize her place in a career where she's worked so hard to be taken seriously? -- adapted from jacket