Prudence Wright seems to have it all: a loving husband, a spacious home and a successful career at McKinsey, which now enables her to dedicate her days to her autistic son, Roland. When she and Davis head out for dinner with one of Davis’ new colleagues, Prudence has little reason to think that certain details of her history might arise. Yet when Davis’ colleague turns out to be Matshediso, a man from Prudence’s past, she is transported back to the formative months she spent as a law student in South Africa in 1996. When Matshediso finally reveals the real reason behind his sudden reappearance, he will force Prudence to examine her most deeply held beliefs and to excavate inner reserves of resilience and strength.

In 1796 Trinidad, young Rosa Rendón quietly but purposefully rebels against the life others expect her to lead. She sees no reason why she should learn to cook and keep house, for it is obvious her talents lie in running the farm that she, alone, views as her birthright. But when her homeland changes from Spanish to British rule, it becomes increasingly unclear whether its free Black property owners --- Rosa’s family among them --- will be allowed to keep their assets, their land and, ultimately, their freedom. By 1830, Rosa is living among the Crow Nation in Bighorn, Montana, with her children and her husband, Edward Rose, a Crow chief. Her son, Victor, is of the age where he must seek his vision and become a man. But his path forward is blocked by secrets Rosa has kept from him.

Young Marcia Garcia, a gifted and smart-mouthed 16-year-old seamstress, lives alone, raising two small boys and guarding a family secret. When she meets Farouk Karam, an ambitious young policeman, the risks and rewards in Marcia’s life amplify forever. The novel follows Marcia and Farouk from their amusing and passionate courtship through personal and historical events that threaten Marcia’s secret, entangle the couple and their children in a scandal, and endanger the future for all of them.