Gay rights activist Selena Winters is shot in the head while giving a speech at the Seattle Pride celebration. She is rushed to the hospital and a blood clot is removed from her brain. Family members gather to wait and see if she will ever regain consciousness. While Selena teeters on the edge of death, family conversations lead back to old conflicts and to memories of Marty's first wife, Maria, and his unreasonable obsession with her. The Wives of Marty Winters is a family saga covering half a century in the lives of Marty and his friends and family members.