In the heart of the bayou, Ruby Landry lives a simple, happy life. But
innocence can't last forever...
The only family Ruby Landry has ever known are her loving guardian,
Grandmere Catherine, a Cajun spiritual healer, and her drunken, outcast
Grandperb Jack. Although thinking about her dead mother and mysterious
father sometimes makes her feel as mournful as the wind sighing through
the Spanish moss, Ruby is grateful for all she has. Her life is filled
with hope and promise... especially when her attraction for handsome
Paul Tate blossoms into a mysterious, wonderful love. But Paul's wealthy
parents forbid him to associate with a poor Landry, and Grandmere urges
her to follow her dream of becoming a great painter, foreseeing a time
when Ruby will be surrounded with riches in the dazzling city of New
Orleans! Yet she cannot know how close that uncertain future looms...
In a faded photograph, Ruby glimpses for the first time the image of her
father-- and learns of a shameful deception and a shocking scheme of
blackmail that now must come to light. Stunned by these revelations, she
is devastated when Grandmere dies, leaving her to seek out her father in
his vast New Orleans mansion. There, in a house of lies, madness, and
cruel torment, Ruby clings to her memories of Paul to keep her heart
alive. For only their love can save her now...