Winter Storms

In New York, national news anchor Margaret Quinn is happily engaged to Dr. Drake Carroll. She worries about her ex-husband, Kelley Quinn, who owns the Winter Street Inn on Nantucket and is battling prostate cancer. She is also concerned about their son Bart, a Marine who has been missing in Afghanistan for over a year. Their eldest son, Patrick, is in jail for insider trading, leaving his wife, Jennifer, to raise their three sons alone in Boston. To cope, Jennifer has developed a secret addiction to oxycodone.

On Nantucket, Kelley is finishing radiation treatments, cared for by his wife, Mitzi, who has recently returned and reconciled with him after leaving him for another man. Their daughter, Ava, a music teacher, is dating two men, Nathaniel and Scott, and cannot choose between them. Their son Kevin runs the inn with his fiancée, Isabelle, and their infant daughter, Genevieve, but feels his role is now redundant.

Overwhelmed by her romantic indecision, Ava arranges a spring break trip to Anguilla with her mother. There, they meet Potter Lyons, a Columbia professor, who is on vacation with his grandfather. Ava and Potter connect during a sail, and she confides in him about her two boyfriends. On their last night, they share a few kisses on the beach.

Meanwhile, Jennifer’s addiction deepens. She drives to a deli parking lot to buy pills from her dealer, Norah Vale, telling herself she will quit once Patrick is home. Back on Nantucket, Kelley receives a call from his doctor confirming his cancer is gone. Inspired by a photo from Ava’s trip, Kevin decides to open a beachside food shack. Soon after, a high school acquaintance tells Kevin a rumor that Norah is dealing pills to wealthy clients, including Jennifer.

Patrick’s release from jail is delayed by three weeks, which devastates Jennifer and prompts her to buy more pills. He is finally released on June 20, full of praise for Jennifer’s strength. That same day, on the last day of school, Ava is shocked when another teacher, Roxanne Oliveria, reveals that she and Scott are leaving for a trip to Tuscany that night. Hurt, Ava accepts a lavish date from Nathaniel, who takes her on a private sunset sail and proposes. Ava accepts but immediately breaks off the engagement when Nathaniel announces he has taken a long-term job on Block Island and expects her to move with him.

The family begins planning Margaret and Drake’s wedding, which Kelley and Mitzi will host at the inn on August 20. News is released that Private William Burke, a soldier from Bart’s platoon, has regained consciousness but cannot speak. Kevin’s new business is an immediate success, but his suspicions about Jennifer are confirmed when Norah visits the shack and pointedly asks about her.

Scott returns from Tuscany, admitting the trip was a disaster. Soon after, Ava learns from her friend Shelby that Roxanne is pregnant. Scott confirms the news and ends his relationship with Ava, saying he must do the honorable thing. Devastated and now without a date for her mother’s wedding, Ava bumps into Potter Lyons, who agrees to be her date.

The wedding is held on the beach. In a touching moment, Kelley gives Margaret away. During the reception, Kevin sees Jennifer making a clandestine phone call. He confronts her but is interrupted when he finds Isabelle crying over their own delayed wedding. He promises they will marry on Christmas Eve. The morning after the wedding, Jennifer runs to Norah’s house to buy more pills. Kevin follows her and brings Patrick with him. They arrive just as Jennifer completes the drug deal, catching her red-handed.

Later, Margaret hosts a lunch for her three children, who all have news. Kevin announces his Christmas Eve wedding date; Patrick reveals that Jennifer is addicted to pills and that her dealer is Norah; and Ava shares that Roxanne had a miscarriage and broke up with Scott.

Jennifer enters outpatient rehab. Patrick is initially supportive but becomes consumed with launching his new hedge fund, causing tension. After a major fight, they reconcile. Jennifer dreads speaking with Margaret, but when she finally calls, Margaret treats her with kindness and asks for help planning Isabelle’s bridal shower.

Ava resolves to be happy alone and to avoid men. When Scott is required to observe her music class, he confesses he still loves her, but Ava has decided to move to New York City. Kevin secures a liquor license for his business and rents a cottage for his family. He plans the wedding, agreeing to Mitzi’s request to list Bart as a groomsman despite his disappearance. Jennifer hosts a beautiful bridal shower for Isabelle but is unnerved when she sees Norah’s truck outside the restaurant afterward.

Ava travels to New York to interview for teaching positions at elite private schools and receives two immediate offers. She is also a finalist for her dream job as director of the musical studies program at the Copper Hill School. She has dinner with Potter, and their connection deepens.

On Thanksgiving Day, Kelley feels increasingly ill. Margaret’s assistant gets a tip from a Pentagon source: Another soldier from the missing convoy has escaped and reports that half the captured troops are alive and half are dead. Margaret calls the inn with the news. Hearing Mitzi scream as she takes the call, Kelley collapses before he can learn the details. He is airlifted to Boston and diagnosed with terminal brain cancer. A week later, the Pentagon calls: Bart is among the rescued living soldiers.

Mitzi decorates the inn lavishly for Christmas, Kevin and Isabelle’s wedding, and Bart’s homecoming. However, a massive blizzard is forecast to hit just before Christmas, threatening everyone’s travel plans. Jennifer receives persistent texts from Norah, who wants to talk and is coming to Boston. Fearing blackmail, Jennifer ignores her.

The storm hits, stranding Bart in Iceland and Isabelle’s parents in Nova Scotia. Margaret is forced to broadcast during the storm, delaying her and Drake’s departure. Potter and his grandfather arrive on the last ferry before the shutdown, getting a ride from Nathaniel, who has unexpectedly returned and tries to rekindle his romance with Ava, though she makes it clear she is with Potter. At the ferry terminal, Jennifer runs into Norah, who reveals she only wanted to ask for a letter of recommendation for business school. The entire family, including Bart, finally arrives on Nantucket.

On Christmas Eve, Kevin and Isabelle get married at the Siasconset Union Chapel. At the reception at the inn, Nathaniel and Scott make a final, joint appeal to Ava, who firmly chooses Potter. Kelley, feeling extremely ill, manages to saber a bottle of champagne and give a toast. He retreats to his bedroom and experiences a series of vivid dreams about past Christmases.

That night, he wakes to find Bart crying alone in the living room. Kelley comforts him, and Mitzi joins them. The three huddle together on the sofa, and Kelley is filled with a sense of peace and wonder. On New Year’s Day, realizing he has little time left, Kelley decides to forgo writing the annual Christmas letter and resolves to spend his remaining time writing a novel.