Mary McGhee is a legend-heroic to some, hated by others. Her dead lover's inheritance has fueled resentment among a dispossessed family, and in the South, grudges are as hard and immutable as the rocks themselves.

But there is one member of that family who seems immune to the grievances of the past. Jane Jackson is a lonely child, isolated from her brutal family by her intelligence and her adventurousness. She's drawn to the lonely old woman who owns what her family expected to be theirs and who also carries some of their darkest secrets-secrets of love, hate, and murder. But Jane's devotion brings Mary as many problems as pleasures. Ugly rumors, emotional temptation, and a violent death swirl around, poisoning the innocence of their relationship.

As Mary struggles with her own mortality, she tries to decide what's best for Jane. But Jane Jackson has a mind of her own. A mind that is going to lead her into some difficult places and hard choices before she finally discovers what's best for herself.

Bett Norrisgets up every morning at five and writes. She was a finalist in the first annual Bywater Prize for Fiction contest. She lives in Florida with her partner.