In 1931 Carbon Hill, Alabama, a small coal-mining town, nine-year-old Tess Moore watches a woman shove the cover off the family well and toss in a baby without a word. For the Moore family, centered on helping anyone in need during the Great Depression, the apparent murder forces them to face the darker side of their community and understand the motivations of their family and their friends. Most townspeople have no money for a newspaper and backbreaking work keeps them busy from dawn until well after dusk. For parents, it is a time when a better life for your children - one that involves clean fingernails and a desk - likely means sacrificing health, time, and every penny that can be saved. For a miner, the thought that you might not make it home from work is as much a part of the morning as a cup of coffee. But next to those daily thoughts of death and hard work are the lingering pleasures of sweet tea, feather beds, and lightning bugs yet to be caught. Read Less