Unlocking the past could open the door to a new future. Ever since her parents died of yellow fever when she was two years old, Charlotte LeClerc has lived with her grandparents, who rarely speak of their son and his wife. They are on the verge of negotiating a contract with a suitor, a man Chrlotte loathes, when they discover that she enjoys the comapny of Gabriel Girod, a young Creole man. Charlotte's future hangs in the balance as her gandparents consider whether to stop keeping secrets and reveal the truth that will make the difference between a life of obligation and a life of choice for Charlotte.