Jessie Andrews has the plans for her future all mapped out.  Her boss, Henry Madison of the CPA firm of Madison and James, has given her an assignment which, when completed, will lead to a junior partnership and a way out of the mass of debt for her and her mother.  Before his death, Jessie's father had made all the family's decisions, but toward the end, he'd made some bad investments that had cost the family everything but their home, and he'd left Jessie and her mother with a mountain of unpaid debts.  Jessie's mother, Betty, accustomed to having her husband make all the decisions, was totally unprepared to live on her own, so she depended on Jessie to do everything for her.

Jessie had been engaged to Brian Thompson until she discovered he only went to church to pacify her.  He had no intention of sharing her Christian faith.  Devastated by his deception, Jessie broke off their engagement.  She wanted no part of a marriage that wasn't centered around God's will. 

But the assignment has a major drawback.  Jessie must leave her mother in Portland and go to Ocean City to straighten out the books for Graham Construction in time to prepare the company's taxes.  How will her mother manage for a few months on her own?  She will have to if Jessie is to complete the assignment, win the junior partnership, and pay off the massive debt.  At least, that is the plan.

However, this plan allows no room for the intrusion of Luke Graham's caring love, and Jessie is finding it hard to keep her mind off the tall, handsome, blond architect.  But things aren't as easy to correct with the company's books, either.  An outdated computer system and bookkeeping software make it necessary to waste weeks learning the system.  The willingness of the other employees to welcome her into the fold, and the joy of learning that Luke Graham and his employees share her Christian faith do nothing to strengthen Jessie's resolve to stick to her plans.

Then, Jessie disobeys Luke's rule that no one is to work alone at night.  Someone traps her in the vault where the company records are stored.  She knows the act was deliberate, but she has no idea why until she she finds $100,000 missing from company funds.

Other sinister things happen, things designed to frighten Jessie away.  Can she locate the missing money in time?  And does Lucky Graham fit in her plans?  Are her plans God's plans?

Plans of the Heart draws you in and keeps you there unitl the very end.  And it shows how God's plans are always the best for us, if we follow them.  I loved this story, told without the bad language or explicit sex which detract from so many stories.  Plans of the Heart is a story that anyone contemplating marriage should read.