Isabelle is haunted by remorse over a past mistake that drastically changed the lives of those closest to her. Apologizing would be a step in the right direction—if only she could muster the courage to say, "I'm sorry." Her world is turned upside down when her late husband's will stipulates that she transform their waterfront estate into a bed and breakfast. As the summer's first guests are due to arrive, Isabelle feels increasingly overwhelmed. Unexpected help arrives in the form of her twenty-four-year-old granddaughter.

Eugenia Ladson’s husband—retired judge Everette Ladson—is engaging in marital misbehavior—she’s certain of it. But to activate the clause in her prenup, she needs proof, and is willing to pay for as many hours of surveillance as it takes. When Eugenia turns up dead, Hadley is in Greenville, South Carolina—three and a half hours away—where she’s followed Everette. Every instinct tells Hadley Everette is responsible for Eugenia’s death, but she is regrettably his alibi.

Birdie Fuller's new year is off to a bad start. Her husband has mysteriously disappeared, leaving Birdie to cope with their unmarried daughter's unplanned pregnancy. Birdie and Hannah disagree about the baby. Birdie urges her daughter to consider abortion, but Hannah is determined to see the pregnancy to term. When Hannah returns for her last semester in college, Birdie must face her demons, the problems in her marriage that drove her husband to clean out their bank accounts and run off with another woman.

At 55, retired professional surfer Emma Cross feels like a shadow of her former self. Once fearless, she now spends her days quietly in the cozy Florida beach town of New Hope. She watches the waves she used to ride and wonders if her best years are behind her. But when siblings Sara and Ben move in next door—Sara with her infectious energy and Ben with his calm, steady presence—they slowly pull Emma out of her shell, reminding her of the woman she used to be and nudging her toward the life she still has ahead of her.

Ellie Pringle has spent endless hours and countless dollars working with a therapist to remember the lost years of her childhood. She's baffled and more than a little intrigued when the grandmother she hasn't seen in 34 years dies and leaves her a fortune. The time has come to face her past in person. Still reeling from a recent breakup of a long-term relationship, and with nothing to keep her in San Francisco, Ellie packs her meager belongings and boards a plane for the South Carolina Lowcountry.

When new next-door neighbors Georgia, Midge, and Lula first assembled on Georgia's porch in Charleston for sweet tea, they couldn't have known their gathering was the beginning of a treasured tradition. For 26 years they have met on Tuesdays at four o'clock, watching the seasons change and their children grow up, supporting each other in good times and in bad. With their ambitions as different as their personalities, these best friends anticipate many more years of tea time.

Scout Montgomery has made a career out of searching for her missing brother. Helping runaways gives meaning to her otherwise meaningless life. She hasn't spoken to her father in nearly two decades, and her crush on her sexy coworker is going nowhere.

When Ann Rutherford's husband dumps her for the bimbo in his office, unfairly leaving her without a home or a job, she reluctantly joins forces with Rhonda DelMonte to convert Rhonda's Florida seaside estate into the small upscale hotel it once was. Ann, quiet and reserved, is no match for brash, bossy Rhonda, who left the family's New Jersey butcher business after she won the Florida lottery.

Tilly Farriday isn’t feeling very jolly this season. Recently divorced and broke, she’s squatting in one of her rental agency’s properties until her new home is ready. The sprinkles on top of the burnt Christmas cookie that is her life? The new owner shows up early, forcing Tilly to hide in the attic to save her job…and what remains of her dignity.

Since it’s Christmas, all seven sisters will be coming home too. The sisters take the holidays very seriously, and as soon as they’ve celebrated Thanksgiving, it’s on to decorating for Christmas. All of the sisters, and some helpful neighbors, pitch in to make the spirits bright, but younger sister Endora is dismayed to find some of her sisters flirting with the handsome men who’ve come to help.

Thirty-nine was a fantastic year. I was married to the man I loved. I had a body that worked without creaking. My grandma, who raised me, was still healthy, and life was pretty damned good. But as they say, all good things come to an end. One year later, I’m a widow. My joints are starting to ache. Gram is in the nursing home, and dead people think my home is some kind of supernatural bed-and-breakfast. Gluing body parts onto semi-transparent people has become a side job - deceased people I’m not even sure are actually there.

Lisa Hodges needs to make a decision fast. Thanks to her dead husband’s gambling addiction, their savings is almost gone...Her only options are to sell the house and move off-island, or, she could use her cooking and entertaining skills and turn her home into a bed and breakfast. Come visit Nantucket and see how Lisa's new bed and breakfast has an impact on almost everyone in her family.

Ten years ago, Harley Nelson got on his motorcycle and drove out of Portland, Oregon, leaving behind a bad reputation, a baby, and the woman responsible for both—Audra Worthington. Now Audra's dead, and their son, Brandon, is being raised by her perfect sister Lauren. But Harley is a changed man. He's a self-made success down in California, and he's finally ready to take responsible for the son he left behind.

Gerri can't decide what's more devastating: learning her rock-solid marriage has big cracks, or the anger she feels as she tries to repair them. Always the anchor for friends and her children, she realizes it's time to look carefully at herself. The journey is more than revealing—it's transforming. Andy has come to believe that a lasting love is out of reach. When she finds herself attracted to a man without any of the qualities that usually appeal to her, she questions everything she thought she wanted in life.

Caroline Collier is a woman bogged down in the harsh realities of a life barely lived. Stress from her all-consuming job as an accountant has given her panic attacks, forcing her to take a leave of absence from work. And though her chances of relaxing in the presence of her overbearing, perfect mother are slim, she joins her at the family’s vacation home in the mountains of North Carolina. Though Caroline loves the serene beauty of Lake Ophelia, peace of mind is not to be found.