Vance’s mother begins dating Matt, a firefighter who is younger than her, when Vance is 13. Vance’s grandfather, Papaw, dies at home and is found the next day. A first funeral is held in Ohio, followed by a second, in Jackson, Kentucky. The family unit begins to erode; Lindsay spends more time with friends, and Vance’s mother’s drug use increases, forcing her to enter a rehab clinic in Cincinnati, with Mamaw, Lindsay, and Vance visiting her during her stay.

Vance finishes eighth grade with his mother having now been sober for a year. Lindsay marries soon after Papaw’s death; Vance likes her husband, Kevin. Lindsay gives birth to a son, Kameron. Vance’s mom announces that she is moving herself and Vance to Dayton, where they will live with Matt. Vance angrily opposes, not wanting to move away from Mamaw, and Bev sends Vance to a therapist. Vance returns to Kentucky to live with his biological father, Don Bowman, and his wife, Cheryl, enjoying the calm their household provides.