On Memorial Day, as the people of Jewel, Minnesota gather to remember and honor the sacrifice of so many sons in the wars of the past, the half-clothed body of wealthy landowner Jimmy Quinn is found floating in the Alabaster River, dead from a shotgun blast. Investigation of the murder falls to Sheriff Brody Dern, a highly decorated war hero who still carries the physical and emotional scars from his military service. Even before Dern has the results...

"Darcy Cotterill, 30 and divorced, works at the Nantucket library during the day. She spends most nights in her backyard, gazing at the stars. She's on the brink of starting a relationship with a local carpenter, Nash, when she gets new neighbors for the summer, the most unexpected of whom are her ex-husband, his new wife, and step-daughter. As Darcy is drawn into the lives of her neighbors, she develops a crush on another vacationer, Clive, a musicologist...

In Charleston, South Carolina, in 1865, ten-year-old Eli and other newly freed slaves gather to honor the memory of fallen Union soldiers, an event considered to be one of the first celebrations of what is now called Memorial Day. Includes author's note.

Thirteen-year-old Jenna is excited to have all of her friends visit her lake house for the Memorial Day holiday and local fair until she finds out her twin brother has invited David, her old crush and Sarah's current boyfriend.