You've met the incomparable Molly Peale Wilde in "North of Channing Street" and "The Wildes of Murrells Inlet," but though she's previously faced tough circumstances and even tougher choices, she's never before endured the level of devastation she encounters in "When the Palms Turn Yellow."

The first chink in Molly's happy existence appears when she hears that a cherished loved one is terminally ill. As she tries to prepare herself for the worst, a friend is crippled by a serious accident. Struggling to remain open-hearted, Molly offers to care for him and invites him to live at the...