This book is based on the lives of one family, dating from the early 1920s to the twenty-first century. The novel expands the lives of the family and their individual journeys but concentrates mainly on one character and her experiences. Elodea faces challenges, tragedies, and joys in her life as she struggles with all that besets her over her ninety-one years. There are moments of sadness, struggle, and joy. Elodeas life encounters many twists and desperate times, but the temerity and willpower she learned in her early years always fortify her throughout her life.