The author of Katrina returns with a coming-of-age story that ranges from the rich suburbs of Chicago to the down-and-out neighborhoods of Durham. Maren and her brother Ellison live a comfortable life on Lake Shore Drive thanks to their mother's success as the hostess of a television talk show, but when she's killed in an accident, their world is turned upside down. Forced to move in with their estranged and poor father, Maren comes of age while dealing with reverse racism, religion, and her own attempts at becoming an adult.