In a small town in Northern California, the olives are ripening and the Keller women, a multigenerational family of firstborn daughters, are preparing to send their youngest, Erin, abroad. Although she worries about forsaking her family, she is compelled to take a chance at living her dream.

A crisis the day before she is to leave makes Erin question her choice. Is it possible that before she can return to Hill House, she might lose one of her beloved grandmothers? Because, although she has three caretakers—Anna, her great-great-grandmother; Bets, her great-grandmother; and Callie, her grandmother—Erin has no mother. It is an absence keenly felt and never mentioned.

Under the Olive Tree offers a tantalizing glimpse into the secrets of the Keller women, which spill out in surprising and heartbreaking ways in the forthcoming novel The Roots of the Olive Tree. Enjoy this early taste!