In Macon, Georgia, Miss Lisa receives an unexpected call from a girl claiming to be her niece, and she has bad news. Lisa's only sister has died, although how she died remains unconfirmed. Her niece Valdosta has no other family and nowhere else to go, so Lisa invites her to leave her home in Chicago and join her down south.

When Valdosta arrives, the sixteen-year-old is not what Lisa expected. Her skin is much lighter than her kin, and she has emerald green eyes. She also seems to be hiding something, a feeling that intensifies when Lisa tries to ascertain what happened to Valdosta's mother.

However, Valdosta can't run from the past or the demons in her own head. She brings mystery into Lisa's home, along with dark memories and even darker secrets. When the authorities get involved, all must be revealed but possibly at great cost. What is Lisa's niece hiding, and how far will Lisa go to protect her dead sister's child?