Beth "Sis" Blake has always been the caretaker, the dutiful one, with the weight of her family's happiness --- and their secrets --- on her shoulders. She dreams of taking off to pursue her own destiny, but not before doing whatever it takes to rescue her sister, Emily, an unwed mother who wants the security of marriage for the sake of her five-year-old son. But secure is the last thing she feels with her new husband. Now she must put aside pride and trust family to help her find the courage to escape.

Betty Jewel Hughes was once the hottest black jazz singer in Memphis. But when she finds herself pregnant and alone, she gives up her dream of being a star to raise her beautiful daughter, Billie, in Shakerag, Mississippi. Now, 10 years later, in 1955, Betty Jewel is dying of cancer and looking for someone to care for Billie when she's gone. With no one she can count on, Betty Jewel does the unthinkable: she takes out a want ad seeking a loving mother for her daughter.