Because their lives have always been overshadowed by the residual effects of a horrific ordeal from the post-Civil War era, life for the Beckfords consistently remains somewhat tentative. But then, in relatively modern times, a specifically horrendous event occurs on their sprawling thousand acres which will cause cleavage within the family to persistently linger for years. The plot then thickens as the youngest Beckford siblings, Ned and Estelle, are confronted with an exacerbating family situation, which influences their decision to seek new beginnings. Chicago provides the backdrop for many circumstances that introduce both, especially Estelle, to numerous challenges. Through them all she courageously manages to retain resilience, tenaciously searching for the best that life can offer her. She instills the same optimism and resourcefulness in her children, Clare and Jeffrey. Clare encounters all obstacles with stubborn persistence to eventually become the main focus of this novel. Because of her marriage to Grady Mayfield, that family also becomes woven into the widening narrative that extends into the 21st century.