buying a year is set in a not so distant time and in a city that shares its space with three rivers. one of those rivers becomes the mystic guide for sharon, a recent young divorcee who is willing to spend her small divorce settlement on the time she needs to renew her soul. as she creates a new life she must deal with pressures and stresses of family, loneliness and the problems of finding and developing a career. using her meager resources frugally and pushing herself to the limits of her endurance she finds herself in both dramatic and comical situations. through the burden of her fears, the humor of her immigrant landlady and the passions of a troubled young vietnam veteran, sharon discovers a compelling world that liberates her hidden artistic talents, renews her spiritual life and teaches her the lessons of the transformations of faith and love.