Life in Arkendale, Oregon has finally settled; Will and Chelsea Harris seem untouched by their father’s injuries while their parents have found lasting contentment. But Sam Cassel and Jenny Cope face their deepest fears alongside the Iranian hostage crisis and the eruption of Mount St. Helens. As Sam struggles with paternal insecurities, his mettle is tested when a volcano explodes, triggering Jenny’s worst dread. Ash rains on the village as Sam and Tommie seek answers to her childhood trauma in Colorado; can Jenny finally emerge from nearly two decades of self-imposed captivity?
In the third novel of the series, 1979 gives way to the early ‘80s; Max and Liz Smith face an unplanned pregnancy while Sam and Jenny try to add to their family, watching for signs of Alvin’s legacy in Chelsea and Will. The Harris family’s connection to Bonnie Carmine unwinds in spectacular fashion with Harold Carmine’s unexpected death. But all Jenny wants is the hostages’ release, that and Sam’s baby.