This acclaimed debut novel by Nyani Nkrumah is set in 1982 in racially divided Mississippi. An eleven-year-old Black girl, Ella, is befriended by Ms. St. James, a white woman who is visiting the community in order to conduct research. The story is told by both characters in turn, as gradually their sweet friendship turns complex when Ella unwittingly comes close to revealing a potentially dangerous secret in Ms. St. James?s past. A complex story is a shocking ending.