Once comfortably middle class in Korea, John and Helen Koh and their three children - Bo, DH, and Mido - find their lives upended by the 1997 Asian financial crisis. Striving to regain their footing, they eventually settle in California - where new vistas of opportunity open up for the children as their parents must adjust to a new life in which they set their sights on whatever it takes to provide for their children's futures. The Kohs, their friends, relatives, and even their foes move in and out of each other's lives as they navigate new courses across the years, always nursing the almost all-consuming faith that education will lead the next generation to success and security.

 

Born under the shadow of a birthing tree sacred to generations of Mi'kmaq women, Aliet Paul grows up outside a small Nova Scotia town with her fierce, loving grandmother Kiju. Her mother died bringing Aliet into the world under that very tree; her father remains a mystery no one will name. Aliet's childhood is shaped by seasonal apple pickers, the medicinal wisdom of the old ways, and the quiet, steadfast presence of John, a boy who becomes her anchor. Years later, when the call comes that Kiju has died, Aliet returns home to a crumbling house, a community scattered, and a past she thought she'd outrun.

 

The air is crisper, the water is calmer, but, when it comes to the Murphy family, nothing is ever quite as simple as it seems. Youngest sister Emerson is busy planning her dream wedding to Kyle. But her difficulty expanding her family is overshadowing her joy. Pregnant middle sister Sloane and her husband Adam's dream house has turned into a nightmare. Everything is over time, over budget, and Sloane is over it. Eldest sister Caroline, as always, is there to swoop in and get her sisters' lives under control.

 

Missy Cooke grew up largely apart from her father, Marty Cooke, a Silicon Valley tech founder focused on work and his new family. As an adult pursuing a tech career, she struggles with his expectations. When illness forces Marty to step down from ipryy, he names Missy interim CEO. Thrust into boardroom politics and public scrutiny, she must manage the company, navigate strained relationships, and define herself beyond her father's legacy.

 

At their twenty-fifth high school reunion, four former best friends discover that growing up is way messier than anticipated--and the past isn't nearly as finished as they thought.

 

The Nantucket Christmas Stroll is the most wonderful time of year on the island, filled with holiday cheer and festive decorations. Excited holidaymakers crowd the streets, Santa arrives on a Coast Guard boat, carolers serenade with classic Christmas carols, and shop windows glitter with twinkling lights and merry displays. At the heart of this celebration is the Parsons family and the sparkling house party they host each year. Brick Parsons and his wife, Jane, eagerly anticipate the arrival of their three adult children who are all coming home for the holidays. But the holiday cheer is soon overshadowed by the stress of the season as secrets are revealed and emotions run high.

 

Shipping magnate John Randall Williams is at sea after the recent death of his wife. About to face his first Christmas alone, John meets a young woman named Lillith at a dinner party and immediately invites her to share the holiday with him on his 350-foot sailboat in Saint Barts. Editor Charlotte Ramsay is on assignment in Saint Barts during the holidays. Known for her integrity as a journalist, she is there to interview another powerful man: the elusive high-tech billionaire Ben Sharpe. When she agrees to have dinner with him, she becomes intrigued by the real man behind the facade. A chance encounter between the two couples sets the stage for a face-off between the Charlotte and John.

 

September at Tiffin Academy is always a heady time, especially for the senior class--"sixth formers," in Tiffin-speak--a season of college applications and intense pressure, of partying hard and last hurrahs. As the chapel bells ring in students and staff, everyone has something to look forward to--but in the midst of the anticipation and excitement, nagging questions and dark secrets lurk beneath the surface...

 

Graziella, the ninety-six-year-old matriarch and former nun, spends her days running the parish's food kitchen, convinced it is her responsibility to keep everyone fed in their working-class New York neighborhood. Her daughter, Grace, a respected psychology professor, appears accomplished and composed, yet finds herself unmoored as her personal life falters. Ella--Grace's daughter--is weary of defending her vegan diet and anti-capitalistic lifestyle; blind to her own brilliance, she longs, above all, for a place to belong. Living together again, the three Graces reckon with the distances that have shaped them, and with what it means, at last, to be fully known.

 

Scharisse Freeman ditched her humble roots and married a megachurch pastor fifteen years her senior. Grudgingly accepted into their fold, she doesn't have many allies, but that hasn't stopped her from building an enviable business empire and living the comfortable life her husband's power affords her. When she gets an invitation to participate in the First Lady USA pageant, it's her chance to finally be accepted by the other pastors' wives - First Ladies - who are like Jesus' disciples if they had been a group of mean girls. Then scandalous truths about Schar are revealed, and she is reminded that in the eyes of the church, optics can matter more than the truth.

 

Dr. Nikké runs a clinic with an unusual approach to helping people. Those who arrive often do not fully understand how they got there, but each leaves with a cat and a new perspective on their life. Through connected stories, a woman preparing for a competition, an overwhelmed young father, an illustrator questioning her career, and a young woman carrying guilt confront personal struggles. As Dr. Nikké guides them, the bond between cats and people shapes their paths forward.