Even the pretty schoolteacher,Fern, who once seemed so cold to him, finally returns his attentions. Then one fateful night, a small package is delivered to Nubey's doorstep: an infant girl. And the baby is black. Unable to find a relative for the baby anywhere, Jeb feels obligated to care for her. This simple act of charity, however, awakens the troubled undercurrent of racism in this South of the Great Depression. The townsfolk of Nazareth find themselves divided; what are they to make of rocks thrown through windows, graffiti on the church wall, the child's new black nanny, and a craven attack in an apple orchard? And who will win the battle for the heart of this one small town?
