With Juliette's starring role in the Patsy Cline bio-pic, she is at an all-time career high, but is hitting a personal low. Meanwhile Avery, separated from Juliette, tends to baby Cadence at his parents' home in Texas. Rayna, along with her family and friends, grapple with the chilling aftermath of Deacon's liver transplant.
Juliette breaks down during an appearance on “Live with Kelly and Michael,” prompting Avery’s concern. But when she continues her pattern of irrational and volatile behavior, she leaves Avery with a struggle of his own. Meanwhile, Rayna is determined to show the world that Highway 65 is not just a vanity project and devises a plan to sign Markus Keen, one of the biggest rock artists around.
A second aneurysm leaves Beverly brain dead and Deacon consumed with guilt, while Scarlett is forced to decide whether or not to keep Beverly on life support. Meanwhile, Juliette continues a destructive pattern of erratic behavior, pushing Avery to make the heart-wrenching decision to file for divorce.
Rock star Marcus Keen makes demands on Rayna as she struggles to tend to those around her. Layla and Jeff get into a lover’s quarrel. Jeff arranges for a journalist to shadow Juliette on tour, but after another emotional setback, she leans on pills and alcohol to get through her days, and Zoey returns to see Scarlett
Rayna pushes back on Layla’s romantic relationship with Jeff, and Markus pushes back on his producer, Avery — which does not go well. Maddie joins Colt on Luke’s tour, giving the teens opportunities for more freedom than Maddie can handle. She turns to Juliette for advice and shocks Luke with the results. Meanwhile, Deacon and Scarlett head to Natchez despite their falling-out, and Gunnar enlists Kevin and Will’s help as “wingmen” in an effort to pick up a new woman.
Juliette gets into a brawl with a fan that goes viral, but Jeff sees damage control as an opening for his own career. Maddie is grounded and misses Colt who is on tour with his dad. Markus butts heads with Rayna over his sound, and the two consider whether they can continue working together.
Rayna’s concerns about Deacon’s business venture with an old friend from AA, Frankie, threaten to drive a wedge between the lovebirds. Luke’s personal integrity and his relationship with Colt are on the line in the wake of recent events
Rayna wants to turn down Sony’s contract offer for Maddie to be a solo artist and finds her family life distracting her from her work with Markus. Luke is desperate to regain Colt’s trust; Gunnar’s girlfriend, Erin, causes issues on tour with Scarlett and Avery scrambles to make money doing insipid jingles.
Rayna’s new artist, Markus Keen, causes trouble for her when he scraps a song on his new album one week before its release. Is Deacon part of the solution or the problem? Luke attempts to reconcile with Colt, and Scarlett surprises Caleb back in Nashville when she gets time off on her tour
It's a big morning for Markus Keen when "Good Morning America" comes to Nashville to broadcast a live concert in support of his new album launch, but come show time, Markus finds he's anything but ready. Meanwhile, Luke's relationship with Colt continues to be strained while Luke learns of another setback to launching his brand. And living in the same house, but feeling further apart than ever, Rayna and Deacon face a big decision.
It’s the wedding viewers have longed for when Deacon and Rayna tie the knot, complete with captivating music performances by series regulars Charles Esten, Clare Bowen, Sam Palladio, Lennon Stella and Maisy Stella as well as cameos by Jay DeMarcus of Rascal Flatts and singer/songwriter Jim Lauderdale portraying themselves. When the loving couple are ambushed by paparazzi after their intimate rehearsal dinner, Deacon’s hot-headed reaction casts a pall on the plans and forces a change of venue. Meanwhile, wedding guest Avery is struggling to keep up with the lies Juliette is forcing him to message to press in her absence.
Luke asks his old pal Riff Bell to accompany him on tour. Meanwhile, a new singer named Vita arrives at the Beverly, but Frankie clashes with Deacon and Rayna about whether this newcomer deserves a shot on stage.
Luke starts questioning his decision to bring Riff Bell on tour; Deacon and Frankie butt heads over Vita; Frankie makes a destructive decision.
Juliette Barnes returns to Nashville after receiving treatment for postpartum depression and finds herself at a critical crossroads. Layla, weeks away from launching her first album, courts a country-music superstar in order to secure an opening slot on her tour.
The Exes go out on the road with Autumn Chase; Maddie's closeness with Cash causes tension with Deacon; Juliette comes up with a plan to get Glenn back.
Maddie runs away from home, leaving Rayna and Deacon distraught; Avery's link to Layla threatens Juliette; Riff's disappearance forces Luke to find a new artist; Autumn comes between Gunnar and Scarlett.
Rayna and Deacon try everything they can think of to reunite with Maddie and avoid court, even involving Teddy (Eric Close) from jail. Juliette tries to rekindle her relationship with Avery, and her success on tour stokes Layla's jealousy, personally and professionally. Luke Wheeler leverages his own appearance on "Good Morning America" with Robin Roberts to try to jump start Will Lexington's career.
Rayna and Deacon fight to regain the trust of a determined Maddie as she seeks independence, but their efforts are undermined by someone they thought was an ally. Scarlett and Gunnar disagree on the history of their musical partnership during a press interview. Luke tries to do the right thing for an artist he admires, but it ends up backfiring. Country music star Kelsea Ballerini performs “Peter Pan” in a guest appearance as herself,
Rayna makes a last-ditch effort to protect her oldest daughter from the perils that befall young artists. Juliette reunites with her “Shenandoah Girl” co-star Noah West (Derek Hough) on the Oscar campaign trail, where she meets Kesha, who guest stars as herself. Elsewhere, Scarlett grows wary of Gunnar’s budding friendship with Autumn Chase (Alicia Witt); Layla fears falling into obscurity before her career even takes off; and Will suffers a devastating loss,
Rayna and Deacon face the facts of their relationship; Scarlett makes an unexpected discovery about herself; Gunnar performs with Elton John; Luke makes an appearance on "The View"; Layla launches her new album.
Juliette needs to decide how she's going to publicly address what really happened regarding Jeff's death. Will becomes a leader in a sense. Rayna takes dire action when she finds out who Maddie has encountered, and one music duo may go their separate ways.