There, she soon finds herself engaged to a racial bigot who, obviously, must remain ignorant of her ethnicity.

The story — based on how secrets past and present haunt goings-on of the moment — is thematically complex. Racism, displacement, and the plight of the disadvantaged, including an unfortunate immigrant, color the journeys of not only Louise but another newcomer to the community, an aging go-getter named Margaret who feels a kinship to the long-departed duelist's wife. She's the one who, also seeking information on the illustrious antecedents involved with the duel, threatens to disrupt Louise's scheme of deception.