Lorna Adams thinks she knows her grandmother: a loving, law-abiding Scottish matriarch who shaped her life with kindness and grit. But when she discovers a hidden writing desk stuffed with letters, diaries, and long-buried secrets, the past refuses to stay politely in the past.

As Lorna follows the trail from Glasgow to Saratoga Springs, she uncovers a love affair, political radicalism, immigration, heartbreak, and a family history more complicated than anyone ever admitted. The deeper she digs, the more her mother, Mary Alice, resists—and the more the truth threatens to split the family wide open.

With every letter, Lorna must decide whether uncovering the truth is worth the pain it causes. But can she bring her mother face-to-face with a legacy that may change everything she believes about her own life?