Summary

By going back into time when he was seventeen, the fifty-seven-year-old man, Landon Carter, tells the story about his first love and how she changed his life forever. 

As a seventeen-year-old teenager, Landon was rebellious and only cared for himself. He came from a wealthy family, but his dad was a stranger to him. Worth Carter, his father, was a congressman and was not around for much of Landon's childhood. Besides going to church every Sunday with his mother, Landon was not very religious. He went to high school with his best friend Eric Hunter, who was a popular athlete. Afraid of being judged, Landon always stood by the crowd. His character begins to develop as he starts hanging out with Jamie Sullivan, the minister's daughter. Jamie was a religious girl who always carried around a bible. She was sweet and enjoyed helping the unfortunate, but she did not have many friends because all she talked about was the Lord's plan. Oblivious of others mocking her, Jamie always walked with a cheerful smile.

When in need of a homecoming date, Landon ends up asking Jamie, who agrees to go under the condition that he will not fall in love with her. He makes the promise, thinking that it was only a joke. Unaware, that the promise they made, would lead to a unbreakable relationship. As he more and more time with Jamie, Landon comes to the realization that he had fallen in love with her. Jamie wasn't just an innocent church girl... she was normal. 

One day he shows up at her doorsteps and they share their first kiss. When he figures out that she feels the same way about him as he does, they begin their tough journey. A few weeks go by with their sweet dates. Getting frustrated with herself, Jamie finally tells Landon her secret. The secret that she was dying of leukemia. After hearing the heart-breaking news, Landon is at a loss of what he should do. Realizing that he has never loved anyone as much as he loves Jamie, he makes the decision of staying by her side. As Jamie gets weaker and ill, Landon struggles to figure out what he could do for her. While reading a passage in the Bible together, he realizes what he needs to do. He needed to help Jamie achieve her only goal in life. To get married. On the day of the wedding, as Jamie struggles to walk down the aisle, Landon describes it as a walk to remember. Even after Jamie's death, the love between them is everlasting.