As the nation enters the chaotic sixties era, the Mackey family is attempting to put their tumultous past behind them. Somehow they have managed to endure divorce, racism, death, and puberty. Ethel, their black maid and heart and soul of the family, is the children's only constant. Unfortunately, she is fighting her own demons as well. Twelve-year-old Sallee Mackey is struggling to understand the world with little enlightenment from the adults around her. Her father, who is reveling in newfound wealth, has a new love. Still, he yearns for simpler times. Her mother is overwhelmed with single motherhood, feelings of abandonment, and her battle with alcoholism. Sallee's brother, Gordy, is battling anger and hatred that is bubbling to the surface with the harsh realities of his life. Her older sister, Stuart, has finally escaped the family drama to attend college in New York, only to realize the temptations of urban life. But as each Mackey grapples with separate trials, the world is instantly transformed with a single gunshot in Dallas. In this continuing historical saga, a family living in the South during the mid-twentieth century must find a way to overcome obstacles as life continues to challenge each of them.