Book five, The Sacrifice begins with David and Gracie coming upon a horrific car accident on their way to college. They call for help and rescue a baby girl from the wreckage. Her parents are both seriously injured. Kathy and Mark's twins are getting personalities and entertaining the family but Kathy's struggling with postpartum depression. 

Katie’s cousin Sarah finds a box in her basement with an unfinished quilt and half a dozen tapes from Grace. Why didn’t the quilt get finished? When they ask Aunt Violet, she's reluctant to talk about it; however, as they listen to the tapes together, things start to make sense. 

Marie and Grace both have sons who went into the military--Jimmy and Richard, Junior. In addition, 15-year-old Becky is dating Matthew O’Connor, whose brother Patrick, Junior, is a photojournalist, assigned to cover Viet Nam. Richard Junior has a girlfriend named Delores.