A successful author. Her lifelong friends. A luxurious birthday weekend at a posh resort. The perfect setting to make memories they can cherish forever. At least, that was the plan.

But all is not right with Molly, a terminally ill woman in a less-than-fulfilling marriage who celebrates her 65th birthday with three old college classmates. During their getaway, closely held secrets in their interwoven backstories - an affair, an accidental death, an addicted daughter, and, of course, Molly's illness - are finally revealed, with consequences for their friendships. And in the end, long after she returns to the reality of daily life, Molly must come to terms with her own mortality and the world she will leave in her wake.

"The Leavetaking" is about betrayal and forgiveness, courage and compassion. But most of all, it is about forging one's own path to serenity and helping others to find theirs.