Following the suspense of Phone Calls After, Beginnings continues the Bonnard family story a year after Mathew's tragic death. Anna, recovering from grief and still holding secrets about Mathew, wonders if her friendship with Jim can survive the honesty that love demands. Mitch's domestic life crashes when a medical crisis overwhelms him and leads him on a path of self-destruction. Fifteen-year-old Lauren, aching with an adolescent crush, struggles with problems of the adult world. Sylvie strains her marriage when she fosters a traumatized homeless child found with his gravely ill mother in the kennel at Lauren's house. Marta, thriving in her business venture, faces a catastrophic event which threatens ruin.