Summary

In the prologue, Jo (Josette) Kauffman, who is in her sixties, receives an alarming medical diagnosis. After ten years, her breast cancer is no longer in remission. This time, her diagnosis is terminal. Jo contemplates all of the relationships she wants to repair before she dies. Her wife, Shelley Finkelbein, will resent their having so little time together after a long separation. Her oldest daughter, Kim, who is a young mother, will lose her own mother's support. Her two other daughters, Missy and Lila, who are currently fighting because Lila claims Missy's employer attempted to sexually assault Lila, may never forgive each other without their mother's guidance. Most importantly, Jo and her sister, Bethie (Elizabeth) Kauffman, may never strengthen their bond. Formerly close, the sisters became estranged after Bethie confronted Jo about the inauthenticity of her former marriage. Though she does...