Here and Now

As Audrey Bayer puts the finishing touches on her husband Greg’s 60th birthday party – a milestone Greg is loath to celebrate – cracks begin to emerge in their progressive, multiracial family. Ramon, the couple’s Colombian-born son, who’s just starting a relationship with Henry, a barista, is having unexplained, recurring encounters with the numbers “11:11.” Duc, adopted from Vietnam, enjoys the fruits of a lucrative career as a “motivational architect,” but his celibacy troubles Audrey. Liberian-born Ashley, a successful fashion-industry exec, is finding more and more reason to shake up her marriage with her husband, Malcolm. And 17-year-old Kristen, the couple’s youngest child, chafes at her banal life, especially compared to her more exotic siblings. After a troubling incident at the birthday party, Audrey and Greg take Ramon to a therapist, Dr. Farid Shokrani, who has an unlikely and unexplainable connection to the young man.

Ramon and Shokrani explore the possible psychic connection between “11:11” and a photograph in the doctor’s office. Kristen and Ashley run into trouble. Duc gets good news about his self-help manuscript, but his mood is dampened by the publisher’s request. Audrey is enlisted to help break up a politically incorrect new society at school. Disturbed in part by a medical diagnosis, Greg loses his cool in the classroom. Ramon crashes a family meeting.

Greg gets detoured in the wilderness on the way to an ethics convention. Audrey finds herself in the media crosshairs after a hate crime at school. Following a mountain-bike race with best friend Malcolm and their pals, Duc reveals the secret to staying in control, a credo that’s tested by Carmen, a fellow life coach. Haunted by a painful memory, Shokrani looks for unconventional help to get him through a wedding. With help from Ashley, Kristen’s crush on a predator comes to an end. Audrey ends an otherwise bad day with a rare good night with Greg.

Greg and Audrey look to the past to find financing for the Empathy Initiative. Kristen is partnered with Navid, Farid's son, in a school project, and learns there's more to him than meets the eye. Farid debates Islam with the mosque's Imam, much to Layla's chagrin. Ramon worries he may have shared too much with Henry. The family heads to a familiar retreat to celebrate Haley's birthday, with an unexpected conclusion.

Farid has trouble separating professional and personal perspectives after Ramon’s most recent incident. Kristen and Navid stumble onto potentially incriminating activity. Duc and Carmen make a pledge over tea. Ashley and Malcolm have dinner with the parents of Haley’s classmate, but come away with divergent opinions about the couple.

Rocked by a disturbing revelation, Ramon escapes into the past. Farid looks for meaning in a translation, while Kristen takes comfort in the music of the Torah. Audrey finds that an old college friend, Steven Benjamin, is receptive to her Empathy Initiative pitch. Greg works out with Duc and Michael, and submits a foreword to Duc’s soon-to-be-published self-help book.