Welcome to the town of Harmony, the deceptively picturesque New England town and principal site of “Passions.” On its surface, Harmony looks like an idyllic New England town, but this is no ordinary place. “Passions” explores the lives, loves and losses of four core families who reside in Harmony: the Cranes, the Lopez-Fitzgeralds, the Bennetts and the Russells, each of whom have their own distinct and diverse personalities.

The wealthy Cranes, under the helm of patriarch Alistair, rule the town. Despite the difference in their economic status, the lives of the Cranes are constantly intertwined with the working class Lopez-Fitzgeralds, a Latino-Irish family held together by the hard-working Pilar. As a result of a long-buried secret, Alistair’s wife, Katherine, left town years ago with Pilar’s husband, Martin. Their return caused strife for Katherine’s daughter Sheridan and Martin’s son Luis, despite the couple’s deep love for one another. Luis and Sheridan seem to always be battling obstacles, including the schemes of Luis’ high school sweetheart, Beth, who wants Luis for herself! Despite the pleas of Beth’s mother, Mrs. Wallace, Beth kidnapped Luis and Sheridan’s baby and is raising him as her own! Meanwhile, Luis’ sister, Theresa, wants nothing more than to be a family with Ethan, the love of her life, and her two children. Ethan’s wife, Gwen, and her social-climbing mother, Rebecca, will do anything to prevent Theresa from stealing Ethan away.

Ethan grew up believing he was a member of the Crane family, but he was actually the son of Ivy Winthrop Crane and Harmony’s Chief of Police Sam Bennett. Chief Bennett and his sweet amnesiac wife Grace Bennett had three children together—Noah, Kay, and Jessica. But thanks to Ivy’s scheming, Grace is out of the picture and Ivy is back in Sam’s heart and home. Kay and Jessica remain resentful of their mom for leaving, and have certainly acted out as a result!

Sam and Grace’s best friends are Eve and TC Russell. The Russells are an African American family with a strong presence in the community—TC is the high school athletic coach and Eve is a respected physician. They have two daughters, Whitney and Simone. The seemingly perfect Russell family exploded when Eve’s secret past with Julian came to light, thanks to the machinations of Eve’s vengeful sister Liz. It turned out that Eve and Julian had a child together. Their child was none other than Chad Harris, Whitney’s boyfriend! In the aftermath, TC has turned to Liz, while Eve and Julian have rekindled their love.

And let’s not forget 300 year-old witch Tabitha Lenox! For years, Tabitha wreaked havoc in Harmony along with her reluctant sidekick, doll-turned-boy Timmy. Tabitha was heartbroken when her beloved Timmy passed away, but is now causing just as much mischief and mayhem with the help of her daughter, Endora! Endora is a chip off the old block, having inherited her mother’s powers.

“Passions,” the creation of celebrated daytime drama veteran James E. Reilly, has revolutionized the daytime genre with unparalleled ratings growth, ground-breaking special effects and critical acclaim.

“Passions” is produced by NBC Studios in association Outpost Farms Productions, Inc. and is taped in Studio City, California. Lisa de Cazotte is the executive producer.