Contemporary American fiction

As the Odom family falls apart, seventeen-year-old Lucille Odom is brought across the threshold of womanhood and emotional maturity.

None of the white farmers cared when African-American Luther Nedeed bought his v-shaped section of land back in 1820, but times and people change, and Linden Hills has become a status symbol for blacks who clamor to get into the community, but never seem to question why no one stays for long.

Related stories, linked by recurring characters and an interwoven plot, recreate an American foot soldier's experience in the Vietnam War.