Sexually abused by her grandfather since she was eight years old, Mariah tells no one. As a teenager she shows great potential to become a concert pianist. Haunted by the dark secret in her family, one afternoon she threatens her abusive grandfather with a gun. A struggle ensues and she shoots herself in the hand. Robbed of her career as a pianist, Mariah eventually becomes a composer. The novel turns on a series of complex relationships she has with others who have suffered damage in their lives. These vividly realized characters, like Mariah, learn to make opportunity out of accident and ultimately find dignity in compassion.