Ava Johnson has had a decade of wild living in Atlanta and now she's returning to her home town of Idylwild in Michigan, her fabulous career plans in tatters. Ava is certain that Idylwild is the end of the road for her, but instead it turns out to be a new beginning. She falls for Eddie, a tough, but tai-chi-practising, Vietnam veteran; she rediscovers her relationship with her recently widowed sister Joyce; she supports the town's teenage mothers. But Ava also makes enemies. The Reverend and his formidable wife seem determined to drive her out of town. But what secrets are they hiding? Pearl Cleage's debut novel is a truly engaging, universal story, and her sparkling voice combines compassion, honesty and warm humour.