When Billie James was four, her father died, and this renowned African American poet left her a little money and a shack in the Mississippi Delta. Though Billie was there when the accident happened, she has no memory of that day—and she hasn't been back to the South since. Returning 30 years later, Billie's only neighbors are the McGees, the family whose history has been entangled with hers since the days of slavery. From the locals, she hears a strange rumor: that she herself went missing on the day her father died. As the mystery intensifies, Billie finds out that this forgotten piece of her past could put her in danger.

"A powerful look at a region constantly haunted by its past.... An excellent novel from an author who writes with real grace and a wisdom beyond her years."—NPR