Tabor Heights, Year 1

Everything is going right for Lisa. Her comic strip about a pastor's family has gone national, and she has a contract for a series of books. Even better, she is pregnant. Finally, her critical father-in-law will stop mocking her for wasting time with her "scribbles" and "pretensions of being an artist," and admit she is a good wife. Then her husband, Todd, comes home from another business trip in a foul mood and destroys her happy announcement with: "Is it mine?" He tries to make things right, but he has never learned to simply apologize. Even more important, he has never learned that if he is truly sorry, he needs to change. As communication disintegrates and suspicions and pain increase, their marriage disintegrates, until his own sisters urge Lisa to leave him, to protect her heart, her mind, her baby, and even her life. Family secrets, and patterns of suspicion and accusations and abuse slowly come to light. Can Lisa and Todd regain their first love and forgive each other, and break free of a family tradition that could destroy them both?

Dani has known all her life that God called her to ministry and music, even before her parents died during a short stint in missionary work. Her life revolves around her brother and the band they formed with their three cousins, Firesong. On the brink of breaking out in their career, Dani goes through several testing situations that confirm her in her path she has chosen, with no room for dating or marriage. Kurt returns to Tabor to prepare for a crusade and reunite with old friends. He never expects Dani to capture his imagination, and then his heart. How can he convince the girl who once disdained him as an arrogant jerk to open her heart to him? Conflict with their worldly manager forces Firesong to make some choices that could destroy everything they've worked for. Between the crusade, concerts, a new CD, and her brother marrying her best friend, Dani doesn't have time for Kurt's nonsense … but sometimes he gives her those looks that make her doubt everything she knows and believes.

The hardest thing Nikki has ever done is go home to Tabor Heights, to the people who know how far she fell, and the hearts she broke. Four years after she ran away with Brock Pierson, she has turned her life around, getting right with her family and with God. Now, working for the Arc Foundation, she is sent to assess the Mission for funding. She refuses to fail the God who has forgiven her, and let down her home church. Turning against his drug-runner boss and working for the DEA was just the first step for Brock to pay for his crimes. Released from prison, he follows Nikki home. Now that he has given his life to God, he wants more than anything to win her back, and make sure their love is the right kind. Shadows from his past might prevent that, just when redemption is within reach. Nikki knows she won't find full healing until she forgives Brock, but she discovers she has to forgive herself, first.

Tony and Max are best friends. Writing partners. People swear he doesn't know she's a girl and she doesn't know he's a boy. When Tony goes away for a few months as a teacher, he realizes that empty place inside is Max-shaped. His revelation isn't something he can tell her over the phone. Every idea to tell her how he feels sounds like the plot for a book they would never write. Then Max's parents are nearly killed in an accident. Tony drops everything to come home and be there for her and her brothers. He'll just have to wait until things calms down before he confesses his love. The only problem is, between the accident and the usual chaos of running a community theater and the world suddenly "discovering" where Max's mother, actress Emily Keeler has been "hiding" for the last twenty-five years, things might never calm down. All Tony can do is prove his love by being her rock, drop lots of hints, and look for the best opportunity to make his case. Before the new guy in the tech crew makes his move. He's certainly been paying a lot more attention to Max than Tony is comfortable with. Max has tried for a long time now not to want more, and closer, than what she and Tony have. With all the chaos of holding together Homespun Theater, staging a new production, and dealing with the paparazzi invasion, she shouldn't have time for useless wishing and dreams that can only get her into trouble. And yet …