Few authors have understood the tender intricacies of relationships better than the incomparable Belva Plain. For three decades her deeply moving epics have captivated the hearts and imaginations of readers everywhere. Now, in her final novel, she comes full circle with the themes she took up in her very first work, Evergreen, bringing us this unforgettable story of family and friendship, love and marriage, the challenges of life and the true secret of happiness. Though Iris Stern considers herself a modern woman, with a successful academic career and a happy marriage, she still holds steadfast to her old-fashioned sensibilities. But as the mother of three adult children, each with their own lives and burdens to bear, she often finds those sensibilities called into question when confronted with the choices her children have made. For one of Iriss daughters, its the choice of a fresh start in New York City — and a last chance to save her troubled marriage. While Laura and Robbie cope with an impending separation and its effect on Iriss young granddaughter, Iris herself must come to grips with the discovery of a long-held family secret. But its an emotional parting of another kind that looms most prominently on Iriss horizon — as neither her beloved husband, nor the solidity of her own marriage, is immune to the ravages of time. Through separations and reunions, the changes we cannot avoid and the love that sustains, Iris will weather whatever lies ahead with a faith that cannot be shaken. Like the inmost rings of a tree that abide through the generations, she will be as strong as heartwood.