On a quiet cul-de-sac not unlike Wisteria Lane, three neighbors hid their struggles behind perfectly watered lawns.

Desperation, as Desperate Housewives shows so well, isn't loud. It’s the silence after the kids are asleep.

Mai overheard from her porch. Instead of looking away, she walked over with a chipped mug of tea. “My mother used to say: desperation is just the soil. What grows next is up to you.”