diff -u b/core/modules/help/src/Controller/HelpController.php b/core/modules/help/src/Controller/HelpController.php
--- b/core/modules/help/src/Controller/HelpController.php
+++ b/core/modules/help/src/Controller/HelpController.php
@@ -88,7 +88,7 @@
         '#theme' => 'help_section',
         '#title' => $plugin->getTitle(),
         '#description' => $plugin->getDescription(),
-        '#empty' => $this->t('There is currently nothing in this section'),
+        '#empty' => $this->t('There is currently nothing in this section.'),
         '#links' => [],
       ];
 
diff -u b/core/modules/help/src/Tests/HelpTest.php b/core/modules/help/src/Tests/HelpTest.php
--- b/core/modules/help/src/Tests/HelpTest.php
+++ b/core/modules/help/src/Tests/HelpTest.php
@@ -20,11 +20,12 @@
    * Modules to enable.
    *
    * The help_test module implements hook_help() but does not provide a module
-   * overview page.
+   * overview page. The help_page_test module has a page section plugin that
+   * returns no links.
    *
    * @var array.
    */
-  public static $modules = array('help_test');
+  public static $modules = array('help_test', 'help_page_test');
 
   /**
    * Use the Standard profile to test help implementations of many core modules.
@@ -74,4 +75,9 @@
     $this->assertRaw('<p>' . t('Module overviews are provided by modules. Overviews available for your installed modules:'), '</p>');
 
+    // Verify that an empty section is handled correctly.
+    $this->assertRaw('<h2>' . t('Empty section') . '</h2>');
+    $this->assertRaw('<p>' . t('This description should appear.'), '</p>');
+    $this->assertText(t('There is currently nothing in this section.'));
+
     // Make sure links are properly added for modules implementing hook_help().
     foreach ($this->getModuleList() as $module => $name) {
only in patch2:
unchanged:
--- /dev/null
+++ b/core/modules/help/tests/modules/help_page_test/src/Plugin/HelpSection/EmptyHelpSection.php
@@ -0,0 +1,29 @@
+<?php
+
+/**
+ * @file
+ * Contains \Drupal\help_page_test\Plugin\HelpSection\EmptyHelpSection.
+ */
+
+namespace Drupal\help_page_test\Plugin\HelpSection;
+
+use Drupal\help\Plugin\HelpSection\HelpSectionPluginBase;
+
+/**
+ * Provides an empty section for the help page, for testing.
+ *
+ * @HelpSection(
+ *   id = "empty_section",
+ *   title = @Translation("Empty section"),
+ *   description = @Translation("This description should appear."),
+ * )
+ */
+class EmptyHelpSection extends HelpSectionPluginBase {
+  /**
+   * {@inheritdoc}
+   */
+  public function listTopics() {
+    return [];
+  }
+
+}