Growing up as part of a large, loving family on the Caribbean island of St. Chris, Grace Carpenter is happy but puzzled about her identity. Although the rest of her extended family is black, she is a redibo, with copper-coloured skin, freckles, reddish hair, and grey eyes. Sometimes she gets called names, but the question of why she is different is never explained. As this masterful novel unfolds, we gradually learn the story of Grace’s birth mother, just a teenager herself, and why Grace was adopted by the Carpenters. As she grows and prospers, she is still plagued by the mystery surrounding her birth and a yearning to understand her heritage and who she truly is.