Elena Gilbert dies. When Damon Salvatore avenged the death of his brother Stefan, he broke the sacred contract he made with the Guardians - and put Elena's life at risk. She should have died, but instead, the Guardians offer Elena a once-in-a-lifetime chance: a fresh start.

Ever since she met the Salvatore brothers, Elena's love for both of them has been the cause of endless death and destruction. But if Elena can go back to the beginning—her senior year of high school, when she first met Damon and Stefan—and prove that she can exist alongside them, short of killing people for both of them, then Elena can live.

< p>But Damon has been unpredictable, reckless and dangerous for ages. Perhaps the only way for Elena to save everyone—including herself—is to give up the Salvatores for good. Will Elena be able to sacrifice her own desires for the greater good? Or is her path to tragic love already written in the stars?