Piper Mills is only six years old when her parents die in a car crash that leaves her orphaned and in the care of her grandparents. Being from Savannah, she
is quickly introduced to the art of horseback riding, and her passion as well as talent grow quickly. Her grandmother was an accomplished rider at one time in her past, and the
equestrienne skills have obviously been handed down.
Sadly, as Piper’s dreams and aspirations continue to grow, the presence of her grandmother continues to fade. When Alzheimer’s sets in, the simple knowledge of Piper’s existence
is wiped from her grandmother’s memory. Year follows year, and after a tragic accident and the death of her grandfather, Piper
is left alone to discover deep, dark and terrible clues to secrets tied to her grandmother.
Adding to the weight of the realizations settling upon her, Piper’s grandmother
dies only days after her initial discoveries. How can she ever find out who this woman was in the prime of her life? What are the secrets that have been so detrimental to her passion for life?
Piper cannot allow herself to bury the clues and the temptation to know the real woman behind the frail, faded grandmother she knew. Following the name of a woman addressed in a letter, Piper heads out of her home and comfort zone under a mask of deception that secures her room and board in the midst of this formidable woman's family.
As the past becomes present and history’s secrets are painfully revealed, Piper is joined by the grandchildren and great grandchildren of her grandmother’s one-time friend in discovering some very shocking truths. Hidden in their grandmothers’ past are heartwrenching tales from dark times of the
black revolution in the face of the KKK, forbidden love between mixed races, murder, and death of the soul while the body survives.
Delving into the past brings the desire for life to the forefront. Piper is not alone in her world of hurt and self-inflicted seclusion. Her old wounds can heal here, among these people
who are so much like her. They, too, have their own demons and are in need of answers from their
own grandmother. Together they will forge their different sides of the big story,
forming bonds with each other that reach the soul and heal from within.
Karen White has written a powerful love story that encompasses so much more than the typical man-meets-woman
narrative. The love story extends to the different types of love and relationships
in a person’s life - close friendships, first loves, husbands and wives, mothers and daughters, grandmothers and grandchildren, fathers and daughters, even the love developed for sports and animals. But love also brings the possibility and reality of pain and heartbreak, regret, loss, and the act of giving up in the face of deep disappointment and heartache.