C. Morgan Babst

"As the storm is fast approaching the Louisiana coast, Cora Boisdore refuses to leave the city. Her parents, Joe Boisdore, an artist descended from freed slaves who became the city's preeminent furniture makers, and his white "Uptown" wife, Dr. Tess Eshleman, are forced to evacuate without her, setting off a chain of events that leaves their marriage in shambles and Cora catatonic--the victim or perpetrator of some violence mysterious even to herself....