In 1981, Maureen and her boyfriend Paul bought a house for six thousand dollars in the once thriving dockyard of Red Hook, Brooklyn. The golden light off New York Harbor, the community of old-timers and new-comers, and free parking made up for some of the grit and municipal neglect of the neighborhood. When a new family moves into the apartment next door, Maureen is charmed by eight year old Mercy who jumps rope on the sidewalk in front of her house, her little brother in tow. At twelve Mercedes is diagnosed with lupus and her family moves to the Red Hook Housing Projects, plagued by poverty, drugs, and violence. When Mercy's family circumstances spiral out of control, Maureen and Mercedes stay connected and in these pages, share with readers their remarkable forty year love story of becoming mother and daughter.