Heaven Hill Plantation, upriver from Georgetown, South Carolina, 1807: Sixteen-year-old Alexandra Degambia walks a tightrope stretched between her parents' ambitions. Her father, a prosperous planter, wants to preserve the heritage of his African ancestors. But her mother, who can pass for white, seeks to distance herself from her African roots and position herself in the elite society of wealthy free-women-of-color.Alexandra dreams of establishing her own place in the world as an accomplished violinist. She assumes her talent and her family's wealth will pave her way to success.When her ambitions spiral into a life-or-death struggle, Alexandra learns that sometimes destiny has its own plans.