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Nellie, whose black skin and blonde hair have always made her feel like an outsider, feels more out of place than when she was younger. Her parents are working on a divorce.

Clay Sizemore loves his home in Free Creek, but he longs for more. Since the death of his mother when he was four, he has felt the absence of family. His father left, and he has no siblings.

Easter is a devout Pentecostal, while Anneth is headstrong and restless. The two live in the heart of coal mining country, surrounded by the ghosts of their loved ones.