The Evening Star

Years have passed since Emma's death. Aurora Greenway remains a strong, willful matriarch who has raised three grandchildren through the years, with Tommy's drug-related jail term a constant concern.

Tommy is serving time in jail for a drug charge. Aurora makes regular visits, trying to bridge the gap between them and keep the family's sense of unity.

Teddy has a girlfriend and a son, while Melanie, the youngest granddaughter, still lives with Aurora but contemplates moving out. The household remains busy and emotionally charged as the generations collide.

Rosie, the housekeeper, is courted by an older gentleman named Arthur who has bought the neighbor's house. Sensing Aurora's loneliness, Rosie persuades her to see a licensed counselor named Jerry.

Aurora and Jerry start a romantic relationship, and she begins chronicling her life in scrapbooks. The romance grows more complicated when Jerry has a fling with Patsy.

Aurora discovers Jerry's fling with Patsy and ends the relationship, realizing it centers on Jerry's long unresolved Oedipus complex issues. The decision marks a turning point in her search for love.

After many visits to Tommy in prison, Aurora is finally able to reach him through scrapbook pages of him with his mother Emma from his childhood. The emotional connection helps heal their strained relationship and reconnect them.

With Melanie choosing to stay in Los Angeles to pursue acting, Aurora searches for a new purpose and feels a renewed need for direction. Patsy also hints at a new life in show business, and Melanie earns a role on a television show, a success they celebrate before a tense fight on the flight home.

Not long after, Rosie becomes critically ill. Aurora carries Rosie home to the Greenway house against Arthur's wishes and tends to her until she dies, while Arthur returns Rosie’s ashes and asks Aurora to decide how best to honor her memory.

A few days after Rosie's death, Garrett Breedlove surprises Aurora in the backyard gazebo. The visit lifts her spirits and she confides that she is still searching for her one true love, with Garrett noting there are not many shopping days left till Christmas.

Tommy is released from prison and Aurora welcomes him home with relief and joy. He lands a promising job after taking computer classes, and he and his girlfriend start a family, with Aurora doting on their son.

Aurora dotes on Henry and teaches him music, continuing the family tradition. Scrapbooks grow year by year, capturing their evolving bond.

During a Christmas season, Aurora suffers a stroke while teaching Henry the piano. The family rallies around her, and Patsy makes peace after years of conflict, as Aurora passes away peacefully calling out to Emma.

In the final scene, young Henry plays the familiar theme from Terms of Endearment on the piano as Tommy sits beside him. The moment seals the enduring legacy of Aurora's love for her family.