This is a book of literary fiction and history. In the American South, during the last of the Great Depression and the beginning of World War II, a precocious and vulnerable little girl is growing up in a boarding house. She is surrounded by engrossing characters who range from benevolent to ominous, and whose lives begin to interweave. The hardships of everyday life also come into play during this time of widespread poverty, food rationing, and the personal dangers of war. The story unfolds from the child's observant perspective, and the reader is swept into a journey of suspense. The author's own experiences of having lived in the time and place of the book's setting, and also her research, authenticate the tale.