From rural Mississippi in the Jim Crow era through the transformative 1970s, this sweeping novel tells the tale

of a mother’s sacrifice, relentless ambition, and against-all-odds success. But the one dream she can’t stop

chasing may cost her everything . . .

Money is security. Always. Margo Dupree has lived by that rule since childhood, when her father’s death plunged

her and her mother into poverty. Marriage brought only disillusionment and struggle. But it also gave Margo the

determination to migrate north in search of a better life for herself and her young daughter, Lana.

The north, however, isn’t the panacea she expected, and Margo finds herself contending with the all-too-familiar

obstacles of racism and prejudice, not to mention the new stresses of urban living. But things change once she

realizes that what was once her greatest shame is now her greatest asset—the skills she learned from her

mother’s job as a cook. Using her tasty recipes, personality, and relentless hustle, Margo begins to build a

successful restaurant chain. Yet despite her ever-more desperate efforts, she can't earn her heart’s deepest

desire: Lana’s forgiveness for her early absence.

As Lana becomes a beautiful young woman with an increasingly mercenary temperament, Margo wonders if

she knows her daughter at all—and if she can save her from the bitter and frighteningly dangerous mistakes

that may shatter both of their worlds . . .