These Summer Storms

A historic storm batters the island, knocking out the power. The siblings and Claudia gather in the library with Elisabeth, who is drinking. Alice collects lanterns and finds a deck of cards. They begin playing a card game called “Taken,” which their family invented. Playing cards reminds Emily of her father, and they all become nostalgic, sharing stories from the past. Elisabeth doesn’t participate and finally interjects, saying she’s tired of listening to them talk about Franklin like he’s a “hero” when she’s the one who always held the family together. The kids agree that he wasn’t perfect, but also agree that sharing about him together has been “[t]he kind of catharsis they’d all been longing for” (322). Emily stands up to her mother, saying she should allow them to grieve.

Elisabeth proclaims that they’ve all been waiting for her to “unravel,” and it’s time to tell the truth. She never liked Sila, which comes as no surprise, least of all to Sam. Elisabeth reveals that Franklin isn’t Emily’s father. She had an affair with Mike Haskins, and Emily is the product. Emily already knows this, as Franklin told her years ago. Sam and Alice are shocked, but Greta is incensed. She reveals that she got pregnant, she got an abortion, and her parents sent her away for a year, masking it as a “gap year.” Greta calls out Elisabeth’s hypocrisy in punishing her for an unwanted pregnancy. Elisabeth has no empathy, claiming that it was part of Greta’s duty to the family. Claudia wants to leave, but there’s no helicopter, and Elisabeth says the boats were “released,” implicating her in the act. Alice goes to Emily, wanting to show her that she still loves her as a sister. Greta slaps Elisabeth and tells her she hates her. Sam defends his sister, claiming that Elisabeth’s actions were “monstrous.” Jack enters the room, having heard and seen everything, and holds Alice tightly.

Emily feels better now that her secret is out in the open, but it doesn’t make it any easier to bear. Claudia, Emily, and Alice eat ice cream in the light of Emily’s “Peace” candle, ironic considering that the storm continues to rage outside. Alice admires how Claudia unconditionally supports and loves Emily, despite the chaos of her family. Mike didn’t know he was Emily’s father until recently, which explains why Emily has been spending more time with him and Twyla. Alice says, “He can’t have you […] Dad or no Dad, you’re a Storm. You were his. You are ours” (338). Franklin told Emily the truth many years ago, but always supported her, including giving her the money to start her business, though she repaid it in full two years later.

Nine months ago, Emily stopped by Franklin and Elisabeth’s apartment in the city, thinking they weren’t home, and found Franklin collapsed on the floor. He shared with her that he was sick and asked her to keep it a secret. Emily isn’t sure his hang gliding crash was an accident, but she wouldn’t be surprised if this were another act of his control. His letter to Emily contained only two words, “Thank you,” as her task was to keep his secret, which she has. Elisabeth appears, and Claudia and Alice leave them to talk alone. Elisabeth offers to answer Emily’s questions, but she only has one: She asks whether her mother loved Franklin. Elisabeth only says she “misses” him. Emily is content with some things remaining a secret and, for now, hopes her family can find peace.

Franklin’s favorite tree crashes through the window in the office. Alice is worried that Jack was injured, but finds him safe in the office vault, where he was moving the Picasso for safekeeping. Everyone but Elisabeth rushes to the office to see what happened, and they see Alice and Jack embracing. Alice’s painting has fallen to the floor, exposing an envelope. Franklin left her a letter. In it, Franklin apologizes for the rift in their relationship and for demanding that she leave the island. He knows that, in death, he can’t change the past, but offers a “fixer” to help. Suddenly, all the pieces fall together, and the truth infuriates Alice. She demands to know what Jack gets for his part in the game. Jack is tentative to answer, trying to soothe her anger, but Alice won’t be placated. Per Franklin’s rules, if Jack keeps Alice on the island until midnight, he gets a portion of “Class A” Storm stock, not part of their inheritance. Alice clarifies that “Class A” was Franklin’s nickname for her, meaning that Jack gets her. Greta admits to cutting the boats loose.

Jack insists that his care for her wasn’t manipulation, but genuine love. When he came to the island, he never intended to fall for her, but now he wants her, and he forces Alice to admit that she wants him too. Alice’s issue is that Franklin wanted them to fall for each other, and she can’t bear the thought of her father controlling this part of her life. She asks her siblings to leave them alone, and Jack pulls her into a kiss. He takes her to her room, builds a fire, and then takes her to bed.

When Alice wakes up the next day, Jack isn’t in bed. As she goes downstairs, she hears a helicopter approaching. It’s Tony returning to the island in her father’s helicopter. Greta races outside into his arms, and they leave together in the helicopter. Jack meets Alice outside. Franklin left Tony 1% of the company, making him very wealthy. At midnight, Jack resigned his position with Storm Inc., meaning that he wouldn’t receive any compensation, to prove to Alice that he loves her for more than financial gain. He wants them to get a boat and sail around the world. A boat arrives carrying Larry Manford, a board member for Storm Inc. Emily, Claudia, and Sam join Alice and Jack as Larry reveals the terms of their inheritance. Franklin left Storm Island and the family compound to Elisabeth, ensuring that it would remain in the family. Franklin left each child only $1,107, the same amount he used to start his company from his parents’ garage.

Alice is on the dock, and Sam joins her. After Sila gets her cut, he has less than $800, and Alice knows that he has the most challenging road ahead of him. Emily joins them before leaving to return to work. They joke with her that she lost a dad but gained another, one that is also rich. Emily contends that Mike isn’t her father, as she’s a Storm. Sam is leaving by helicopter, and Alice and Jack are taking the skiff to the train station. The three siblings pledge to remain in contact and begin their “fresh start” by creating a new family group text titled “Storms Inside.”