When the Communist-backed army from the North invaded her village, sixteen-year-old Haemi Lee, along with her widowed mother and ailing brother, was forced to flee to a refugee camp along the coast. Now, for a few hours each night, she escapes her family’s makeshift home and tragic circumstances with her childhood friend Kyunghwan.

Focused on finishing school, Kyunghwan doesn’t realize his older and wealthier cousin, Jisoo, has his sights set on the beautiful and spirited Haemi—and is determined to marry her before joining the fight. But as Haemi becomes a wife, then a mother, her decision to forsake the boy she always loved to ensure the security of her family sets off a dramatic saga that will have profound effects for generations to come.

Richly told and deeply moving, If You Leave Me is a stunning portrait of war and refugee life, a passionate and timeless romance, and a heartrending exploration of one woman’s longing for autonomy in a rapidly changing world.