Emilia and Teo's lives changed in a fiery, terrifying instant when a bird strike brought down the plane their stunt pilot mothers were flying. Teo's mother died immediately, but Em has survived, determined to raise Teo according to his late mother's wishes --- in a place where he won't be discriminated against because of the color of his skin. But in 1930s America, a white woman raising a black adoptive son alongside a white daughter is too often seen as a threat.

Childhood friends Avery and Nora have walked different paths in high school. They never interact...until Nora tells Avery that she thought she found her birth mom --- but it turned out to be a cruel lie. When Avery learns that Nora overdosed, Avery decides to honor her friend by searching for her own birth mother. But what she’s really seeking might go far deeper than just genetics.