Men in Trees

Relationship coach and bestselling author Marin Frist feels confident that, when it comes to men, she knows what to look for, what to avoid, and what will make her happy. But after her own relationship falls apart, she finds herself stuck in a small Alaskan town full of the one thing she really doesn't need -- available men. Amid the amazingly beautiful world surrounding her, Marin, for the first time in her life, now has a chance to stop, breathe and take a look at her real self.

While Marin adapts to her new small town environment -- which includes being a relationship adviser on Patrick's radio show and being followed by a stray raccoon -- she gets surprising advice from the men in Elmo as to what she should do to get over her fiancé. Meanwhile, Jane helps Marin cancel her wedding in New York; Sara takes Marin to a sweat lodge to sort out her problems; Annie settles into town by getting a job working for Jack; and Marin accidentally blows out the towns power using her hairdryer, which inadvertently opens the door to new romance with a handsome stranger -- who is no stranger to Elmo.

Marin's struggle to come to terms with the fact that she is now indeed a single woman is more difficult than she thought. Meanwhile, she's been asked to host the towns charity Bachelor Auction. Little did she expect to be spending all her money on one particular guy. Patrick takes a nervous Annie to meet his over-protective mother, Celia, and Ben and Theresa's relationship gets more complicated.

Since Marin has been away from New York, she's fallen off the radar and there is a rumor going around New York that she's dead. When Elmo's town elder passes away, their sister city breaks up with the town before their New Moon Festival. So Marin seizes the opportunity to put herself to use by finding the town a new "mate." Meanwhile, the clothes that she had shipped from New York have mysteriously ended up on every other woman in town.

The town of Elmo experiences a record heatwave and Marin realizes the energy bars she's been feeding the raccoon living in her closet are making him sick. She turns to Jack for help and finds herself attracted to him, but doesn't know if she--or even Jack--is ready for a relationship. Across town passions stir between Patrick and Annie, and much to Theresa's surprise, between Ben and Sara, as things heat up.

Marin explores whether men and women can just be friends once they've slept together. Eager to test her theory as well as to enjoy a trip to a "big city," she convinces Jack to accompany her to Anchorage. Meanwhile, Patrick doesn't understand why Annie wants to limit their romantic time together, and Sara, Ben and Theresa work on coming to terms with their triangular relationship.

The town of Elmo throws Marin a huge birthday celebration, but the unexpected arrival of her fun-loving younger sister, Liza, conjures up some unexpected insecurities for Marin. Now that Ben has asked Theresa to move out, tensions rise between Theresa and Sara, whom Ben is now dating. Meanwhile, Buzz finds Patrick's father's plane that had disappeared 26 years ago -- opening up Patrick's hope that the father he has never known could have survived and be alive somewhere.

Marin's efforts at coaching Patrick and Buzz on how they can build their relationship has mixed results -- now that Celia has told them that they're related. Marin and Annie need a "maintenance day" and go in search of a beauty salon; and while Sara prepares for her EMS exam, she struggles with what her future may hold. Meanwhile, Elmo is experiencing earthquake tremors that trigger an avalanche, putting Marin and Jack on the mountain in search of trapped friends.

Unbeknownst to Marin, Jane leaked an excerpt from Marin's new book on men to The New Yorker magazine. Now Marin is forced to defend her career to Jack, the unwilling subject of her work. Meanwhile singer-songwriter Jewel stops into the Chieftain when her car breaks down, and runs into Theresa, who turns out to be her former bandmate, and Patrick's mom, Celia and his new step-mother, Mai, go head to head in an alpha showdown for the role of "top mom,"

In the first of a two-part story arc, emotions between Marin and Jack escalate when Marin goes home to New York during Thanksgiving week, where Jane has arranged for her to meet with various editors about publishing her new book. She is thrilled to be back in familiar surroundings but misses her life back in Elmo, particularly Jack. He is ready to make his move with her, but an unexpected twist throws a wrench in his plans, ending in a cliffhanger. Meanwhile Patrick must choose between spending Thanksgiving with Annie in New York or with his new family, and Ben hopes Theresa will help in the preparation of their annual "Orphan Thanksgiving" for Elmoians.

The series of emotional events that will decide Marin and Jack's future continues: While anxiously awaiting Marin's return to Elmo, Jack is caught off guard when someone from his not so distant past comes to town with a secret. Meanwhile, Annie is still upset with Patrick that he neglected her at Thanksgiving dinner, Jane and Sam -- aka Plow Guy -- spend romantic time in New York, Theresa and Ben wonder what's next for them, and Buzz faces a medical crisis.

Now that Jack has admitted to Marin he's falling in love with her, she decides to bide her time and wait for his ex-girlfriend, Lynn, to leave Elmo. Meanwhile Annie thinks Patrick won't be ready for a relationship until he unties himself from his mother's apron strings, Celia gets a visit from her out-of-town boss, Sara comes back to town and is surprised to see Ben and Theresa back together, and Jane wonders if she wants to keep a long-distance relationship with Sam , aka Plow Man.

Marin, who is suffering from writer's block and getting over Jack, volunteers to help at Elmo's fundraising rummage sale. Her publisher, Stuart, makes an unexpected visit to help critique her book's second chapter. Meanwhile, Jack tries to pick up where he left off with former girlfriend Lynn, Sara comes back to town and is surprised to see Ben and Theresa back together, and Patrick's storybook proposal to Annie goes awry.

Marin is excited to move into her rustic mountain cabin, but discovers that her new place is not quite ready for her when she encounters some unexpected visitors. Jane unintentionally neglects Sam, aka Plow Man, to support Marin's new move, Patrick is concerned that he will not be able to give Annie the wedding of her dreams, Celia finally admits to dating her boss, Richard, and Theresa has mixed feelings about Sara helping out at The Chieftain while Ben recuperates; and Lynn senses that Jack may still have feelings for Marin.

When Marin's New York publisher, Stuart, unexpectedly invites her on an overnight ski trip, she wonders if she can be like "one of the guys" and accepts his invitation with no strings attached. Meanwhile, a nervous Jack accompanies Lynn for a sonogram; Patrick tells Annie that he once made a sperm bank donation; Jane and Sam teach each other some of life's secrets, and Buzz comes face to face with a part of his past.

When Marin can't get her construction crew to do what she wants on her run-down cabin, she meets a sexy loner named Cash, a local handyman. As Buzz learns George's secret -- the son he hasn't seen since the boy was eight -- his attempts to be supportive fall short and threaten their family reunion. Meanwhile, Marin must decide if she should attend Lynn's baby shower, and, in order to spend time with Sam, Jane tries to establish her New York business in Elmo.

When Marin lets the sexy and free-spirited Cash temporarily move into her cabin in exchange for repairing it, she must get used to his lifestyle. Meanwhile, Marin finds herself unprepared for some surprising news she hears about Jack and Lynn. And Patrick wants to officially propose to Annie by asking her father for her hand in marriage, so she takes him to New York to meet her parents and other family members.