driven from the dumas mansion back to her beloved bayou rubys only hope is that fate will let her begin anew living again in a humble shack ruby is determined to make a secure and happy home for her precious infant daughter pearl paul tate her first love whom she was forced to abandon is at her side once more now a man of dazzling wealth when he whisks her into his grand house it seems their future is assured as mistress of cypress woods ruby can forget even the shocking reason she and paul must wed in a secret ceremony and remain husband and wife in name alone but the thick expensive walls of cypress woods cannot shut out the terrible memories that have woven their fabric over her destiny or the cold eyes of pauls mother gladys reminding ruby of the secret she must keep to give pearl a loving father then her venomous twin sister gisselle arrives to taunt her with news of beau andreas the true father pearl has never met and the only man ruby will ever long for with all her body and soul desperate to find the complete fulfilling life she craves ruby builds a precarious new existence a flimsy shanty of hope that the first flood washes away only when the storm exposes the very blackest evils of the past will she glimpse the rainbows fragile promise a morning of sunshine and laughter with a family of her own