There's trouble in the land of cotton when a handsome hobo hops off a train bearing a sinister secret capable of ruining lives-including the pristine life of Lizzie Lancaster, a precocious young heiress. When the flirtatious Lizzie offers Kiah Grave a ride in her new Model A, her cousin warns her it isn't right. What will townsfolk say if they see her picking up a vagrant at the tracks like a common chippy? Besides, Lizzie's mother already has a beau picked out for her-Oliver Weinberger, the Senator's son. But the daring Lancaster heiress has never bowed to protocol. Her quick wit and spunky attitude, which her father deem endearing, grate heavily upon her highfalutin mother's nerves. Perhaps if she'd known the truth from the beginning, Lizzie wouldn't have fallen in love with the mysterious stranger. But she didn't and those who knew weren't willing to tell. But like a splinter in the hand, secrets often fester and work their way out.