The book starts off by introducing runaway twin sisters, Stella and Desiree Vignes. Desiree ends up marrying an abusive man, names Sam, and stays in a loveless marriage with him for fourteen years. The scene then shifts to 1986, when Desiree returns home after escaping her marriage.
However, Sam hired Early Jones, a bounty hunter, to locate Desiree. But Sam recognizes Desiree from his past and helps her find her sister Stella instead. Meanwhile, Stella has gotten married to her boss, Blake, and has a daughter named Kennedy. Despite being light-skinned black, Stella pretends that she is white. As such, Kennedy grows up to be a bully and a racist, calling Cindy, their neighbors’ daughter, the n-word.
Meanwhile, in 1978, Desiree’s daughter, Jude, a darker-skinned girl, sees Stella while at university. She later meets Kennedy and the two become friends. However, Kennedy once again insults Jude and the two fall out. Stella finds out about Desiree’s daughter being in their lives, so she returns home to face Desiree. They learn that their mother, Adele, has Alzheimer's, which bonds the sisters temporarily. In the end, the sisters find peace but return to their separate lives.
