In Empire Falls, Maine, Miles Roby struggles as manager of the Empire Grill. Empire Falls seems to be sliding into obscurity, and many businesses are beginning to fail. The city was bought up by local factory moguls, the Whiting family. To make matters worse, Miles is getting divorced.
Janine, his wife, was overweight for years, but these days, she's slimmed down quite a bit. Unfortunately, the weight loss has made Janine unbearable to Miles, who finds her to be arrogant. Janine is also having an affair with the gym owner, Walt Comeau, who now lives with Janine at Miles's old house. Miles and Janine have a daughter, now a feisty teenager named Tick. Tick has her own relationship issues with her ex-boyfriend Zach. One nice consolation for Miles is that Tick hates Janine's new boyfriend Walt.
Then, Tick's school life is discussed, and we learn about John Voss, a potentially unstable teen whose extreme emotions are worsened by Tick's ex-boyfriend who bullies John for his differences.
As Miles works, we learn more about the Empire Grill, something of a family operation. Mile's brother smokes lots of weed, but he's an excellent chef. Miles contemplates his old life in flashbacks, remembering a brighter, healthier Empire Falls. One day, Miles recalls his mother having an affair, and suddenly, his life's core issues come into focus.
