On the night of Barack Obama's second election in 2012, a black girl stands her ground against an assault by two angry white boys. In self-defense, she kills one. Despite the facts of the case, she awaits a judge's ruling on whether she will go to trial. With her in the courtroom are her white adoptive parents and mixed-race friends and neighbors. All face their own challenges based on race, in contemporary America, where black is black, brown is black and white is white. Written as a mosaic of fictional biographies, their stories shed light on the modern-day color line, each of their unique personal struggles compounded by the shade of their skin. In a post-civil rights, post-Obama America, they continue to confront the duplicity, idealism, hope and fury of the millions who face prejudice every day. Will justice be served?
Nell's husband and son died in a freak accident only weeks before 9/11 hit NYC, and the one-two punch rendered her a recluse. When Anna, her one friend and confidante, is also in an accident, Nell ventures from the city to join family and friends awaiting her recovery. What no one knows is that Nell has promised to protect Anna's right to die, a role she never wanted, which is further complicated when she discovers secrets that call their friendship into question. Confronting Anna's defiant sister and husband, bolstering her adolescent children, and encountering unexpected allies, Nell is forced to examine the narratives we create about ourselves and the people we love, and the daunting choices we confront when expectations crash into destiny.
In the search for balance between reason and passion, these women seek their best selves.
On a business trip to Lucerne, a widow stalks a stranger into old town... A chemistry professor's marriage implodes when his wife compounds her discontent... A white novelist wriing about racism confronts the disdain of a black critic... A teacher takes her students' futures into her own hands... A late life PhD candidate discovers her ex-husband still has. old on her heart... A newspaper editor comes face to face with her biases when she misses the heart of a story... A business woman questions her values when she learns her dead mother was never buried... A lonely wife makes a life-altering choice for her future... A once aspiring sculptor struggles to mold her newborn... At court to argue a minor trespass, a model citizen considers her crimes... In Paris to satisfy her mother's last wish, a docile office manager's future takes an unexpected turn.
When Sharon's ex-husband, Red, asks her to join him for a winter retreat, she agrees. After all, they've moved past their grievances, she will be on sabbatical refining a PhD dissertation, and he needs a respite from cancer treatment. Why not enjoy the charms of a southern California beach town? On the other hand, what might Red have in mind and what will happen if Sharon lets her guard down? Soothed by sea breezes and ocean views, Red is befriended by a perky neighbor and her surfer husband. They are all fascinated with their mysterious upstairs landlord and her late partner, a painter. And Sharon finds herself attracted to a local retiree who shares her literary passions. All as the winds of the pandemic blow in.
Turns out, off season is more than a breather - off season can be a promise of renewal.