Hope Anderson is at a crossroads. At thirty-six, she's been dating her boyfriend, an orthopedic surgeon, for six years. With no wedding plans in sight, and her father recently diagnosed with ALS, she decides to use a week at her family's cottage in Sunset Beach, North Carolina, to ready the house for sale and mull over some difficult decisions about her future. Tru Walls has never visited North Carolina but is summoned to Sunset Beach by a letter...

Ever since she was diagnosed with ALS, fiercely independent Mattie doesn't feel like herself. She can't navigate her beloved home, she can't go for a boat ride, and she can barely even feed herself. Her devoted husband, Don, doesn't want to imagine life without his wife of nearly 50 years, but Mattie isn't likely to make it past their anniversary. But when Rose, Mattie's new caretaker, and her young daughter, Jeri, enter the couple's life, happiness...

Three months have passed since Lucious Lyon's shocking arrest. Now, released from prison, he and Cookie enter a hostile competition to dominate the music industry. Despite an ongoing feud between their sons Jamal and Hakeem, a stunning betrayal may unite the family against an outside takeover of Empire Records. Meanwhile, Cookie learns a frightening truth about her new lover, and tragedy tests Andre's newfound faith.