Edith Bosworth, the daughter of the wealthiest black family on the Eastern Shore, meets a novelist in the college library. They quickly become good friends and lovers against her mothers wishes. On New Years Day, her parents are visited by someone from the past that destroys their daughters happiness. Ediths mothers long-term affair with her husbands best friend takes an ironic twist. Ellen, Ediths mother, sees a side of her meek and mild husband that she never thought existed. The Bosworth family house a series of secrets with a host of startling consequences.
