[2] Dana Lynn Yarboro's parents meet in Atlanta, Georgia when her father is buying an anniversary present for his wife.

Dana is born shortly before the birth of James's daughter Chaurisse, from his marriage to his wife Laverne.

After Chaurisse's birth, Gwen pressures James to illegally marry her which he consents to though he does not leave Laverne.

Dana and her mother are kept secret, however the only individual from James's other life that is aware of the situation is his childhood friend and adopted brother, Raleigh.

In her final year of high school Dana is introduced to her paternal grandmother, Bunny Witherspoon, as she is dying.

Her parents met at the age of 14 when her mother lost her virginity to her father and subsequently became pregnant and was forced to marry James and leave school.

At this point, James told her she had finally achieved what she wanted: recognition of her paternity at the cost of her private relationship with him.

According to Kirkus Reviews, "Jones beautifully evokes Atlanta in the 1980s while creating gritty, imperfect characters whose pain lingers in the reader’s heart.