Kathy Whitaker works tirelessly to build a future for herself and her family in 1953 Cottondale, Mississippi. She's turned Weaver Variety Store, inherited from Minnie Weaver, into a successful business, and despite her long hours, their family is thriving. Now, she eagerly waits for her husband, Towanna, to complete his last semester of medical school in New Orleans and return home to intern with a local doctor. However, two strangers arrive in town who threaten to upend her life: Richard Coswell, who claims to represent a large variety chain wanting to buy her store, and Ellen Matheson, a single mother seeking a fresh start for herself and her daughter.

Kathy rejects Coswell's offer but soon finds herself entangled in a legal battle when Coswell discovers the probate on her inheritance was never properly closed and fabricates a claim that could force her to sell. Worse, her new salesclerk, Ellen Matheson, claims to be Minnie Weaver's long-lost, illegitimate daughter and only surviving blood relative, entitling her to a share of the Weaver estate.

Then Towanna calls home with shattering news. He's been offered a five-year surgical residency—but only if he stays in New Orleans. Caught between Towanna's dream of becoming a surgeon and the threats to her inheritance, Kathy must choose which path to pursue. Sell her store and give up her dreams, or risk losing everything that really matters.