Two girls, one black and one white, each living in the same neighborhood but in different worlds, find their lives intertwined one hot summer in Texas in the 1950s. Caroline, the white girl, has taken her privileges for granted. Pearlie, the black girl has learned to keep to herself. Violence in the form of rape and death bring the two together. Gersham Rabinowitz, a holocaust survivor,tries to help the girls navigate the trouble times, but none of them can foresee the life-changing consequences.