Thomas Jonah Vance is born in a January blizzard. Two years later, Cairnwood hosts its annual harvest celebration. The sisters gather on the widow's walk. Maren whispers goodbye to Grandmother Edith as the lighthouse keeps its vigil.
Ruth Vance slowly declines through autumn. The sisters take turns keeping watch. Ruth learns about the baby, names him Thomas. She dies peacefully in October. The funeral fills the church; ashes are scattered at Cairnwood.
Thea falls in love with Ellen in the boathouse studio. They launch the Tides and Secrets podcast and build a life together in Bitter Harbor. Thea finally stops running.
Maren and Jonah marry on New Year's Eve at Cairnwood in a candlelit ceremony. In March, Sloane and Caleb have a courthouse wedding. Both celebrations show the sisters transformed by love and belonging.
The community land trust for Cairnwood is finalized. Maren reflects on her connection to the house before the signing. Eleanor shows growth. That evening, Jonah proposes on the Mary-Lily with his grandmother's ring.
The sisters discover Ruth and Maren have matched evidence. Community rallies at Cairnwood with pledges. Courthouse filing wins a 60-day hold. Sloane files the Delaware petition. FBI confirms probable cause. Cairn is indicted.
Three sisters face temptation to leave during 41-hour deadline. Sloane gets same-day partnership call from David. Maren wrestles overnight with Portland restoration job email. Thea carries 3-day-old Johannesburg offer. Maren finds hidden Cairn letters in wainscoting.
Eleanor arrives with controlling buyout plan, gets called out. Defamation lawsuit triggers community collapse - fishermen threatened, pledges withdrawn.
The sisters drive to Portland for a Maine Public Broadcasting interview. Thea presents documented evidence of Grandmother Edith's assault and the Cairn cover-up. Sloane exposes the Whitfield/Granite Coast connection. Maren speaks emotionally about giving Edith her voice.
Eleanor stays three days, repeatedly relapsing into controlling behavior. Day one: reorganizes Maren's bookshelf, catches herself, restores it with Sloane's help in quiet bonding moment. Evening: finds Edith's portrait, connects mother's guardedness to her own.
Eleanor arrives unannounced. Confrontation over control, management, and the Whitfield connection. Eleanor reveals she knew Whitfield socially and vetted the offer without telling daughters. Learning of the Granite Coast-Cairn link breaks Eleanor's composure.
Thea discovers hospital records: Grandmother's baby was stillborn in December 1963. Judge Cairn's extortion letter reveals calculated destruction of the Harwood family. Whitfield increases offer to 5.5M with 30-day deadline. Sisters trace generational damage pattern.
