Love forbidden by prejudice; death at the hands of unbridled hate; and a family history expunged because of societal inequities are the secrets unlocked when the identity of Charlotte Wickham is revealed.

The saga begins with Danny finding Charlotte's diary and wedding photo. Danny is curious and asks her aunt about them. Auntie answers, "This book is the story of an Indian boy who dared to do what one Caucasian girl's father deemed unforgivable." She then starts telling Danny and her mother, Diana the secrets she's kept for over 60 years.

Alternating between Charlotte's story, which starts in 1883, and Auntie's opening up to Danny and Diana in 1951, we learn the truth about Charlotte Wickham. Charlotte is the daughter of a prominent attorney, who meets Tey Aihamson, a Lenape Indian in grade school in 1883. They fall in love. When Charlotte and Tey run off together, against the wishes of Charlotte's father, it sets off waves of heartbreak and death that follow Charlotte for years to come...