Languishing in a jail cell, Harriet Sherwood has plenty of time to sift through the memories of the three generations of women who have preceded her. As each story emerges, the strength of her family--and their deep faith in God--brings Harriet to the discovery of her own goals.

Never in her life did Kitty make a decision for herself. She was raised on a South Carolina plantation as the pet of her white master's daughter. Now, as a young adult, she must find the strength and faith to make the biggest decision ever. Will she stay with her master and go south to avoid the Yankees or take off tonight for the north with Grady, the field slave she has come to love?

In Chicago in 1890, rules and expectations for women are strict, their roles in life limited. But sisters Rebecca and Flora Hawes are not typical Victorian ladies. Their love of adventure and their desire to use their God-given talents have delivered them to the Sinai Desert. Accompanied by Soren Petersen, their somber young butler, and Kate Rafferty, a street urchin learning to be their ladies' maid, the two women are on a quest chasing rumors of...