It's the summer of 1950 in Pittsboro, North Carolina, and rumors abound that the Governor is about to desegregate public spaces between the whites and negroes. But for Eliza Mabel Wilcock, that's the last thing on her mind. In this tender coming-of-age story, 16 year old Eliza falls head over heels for the one boy she'll never be able to love. And in doing so, she finds herself keeping a secret - a secret so dark that it follows her to her deathbed. As Eliza reflects on those fleeting days of innocence and youth, there's only one person in the world she can share her secret with: her granddaughter, Janice. In the final few days of her life, she crafts what will be her last correspondence to her beloved granddaughter. By telling her tale and unearthing the ghosts of her past, Eliza must find a way to make peace with and forgive herself.