It's early May 1865 and the entire south has been devastated by the Civil War. Slaves have been freed, but there is little work, little food for them -- or those who used to own them. With Hampton York's cash money scarce, can the plantation he has dreamed of owning ever be returned to it former glory? Young Theo has searched for his mama -- a former slave -- for months. Will the former slave reunite with the son she desperately longs to find? Lynette Wheeler, a hotel owner in Richmond, has hidden two secrets for over twenty years. Now it seems she must tell the truth. But what will the consequences be if she does? Can they all be brought together again?

The final installment of Parker's popular trilogy finds young Theo, a slave freed following the Civil War, searching for his mother, while Hampton York hopes to restore the plantation he's dreamt of owning to its former glory.