Ella Giancetti thought certain things had ended in the South, like segregation and signs announcing 'Whites Only'.
When she moves to Paterson, Virginia, though, she quickly discovers that, though the signs might be gone, some of the attitudes remain.
Accepting her first job as a college professor in a different state is supposed to be the start of a new life as Ella heals from the death of her mother.
Trying to balance preparations for the new semester with incessant phone calls from her ab.