Writers Gail Caldwell and Caroline Knapp met at a book function but became friends because of their dogs. They talked about everything from their shared struggle with alcohol to their love of books. They walked the woods of New England and rowed on the Charles River. From disparate backgrounds, but with emotional similarities, these two private, fiercely self-reliant women created an attachment more profound than either could ever have foreseen. Their friendship helped them define the ordinary moments of life as the ones worth cherishing. But within a few years, Caroline Knapp was diagnosed with terminal cancer.