Pat Harris is a thirty-something postgraduate, unmarried woman at loggerheads with her mother, Phyllis Harris. When Lew Harris, father and husband, dies suddenly. Jealously nurtured venom harbored by both women explodes. The story shows how Pat and Phyllis learn to understand and appreciate each otherthe love was always there. Along the way, Pat gives birth to Sasha, sired by an old platonic friend, Clem. They eventually marry when the child is twelve-years-old. Annette, Phyllis' older sister living in Rhode Island, had raised Phyllis since their mother died when they were ages thirteen and nine, respectively. Annette comes to console Phyllis after Lew's death; she leaves abruptly and insulted. Bertie is a good friend of Pat's, a generation older. Other characters that become entwined in the story are Petra and Ruth, who are a lesbian couple, neighbors and friends of Pat and Sasha; Old Arthur, Bertie's seldom-seen ex-huzzband; Bertie's adult children, and Andrew, Phyllis' much-younger boyfriend.[Author bio]Madeline Moore is a third generation Rhode Island woman, a black writer who cannot write black. Her point of view has little to do with race. Moore has a forty-year-old daughter, with a Ph.D. Her daughter gives her great pleasure and satisfaction. Madeline Moore has been amicably divorced for more than 20 years. Writing is her passion.