When her family hires a Haitian housekeeper who brings her daughter, America, along with her, 13-year-old Corky Corcoran, in 1964 Texas, befriends America and asks her to play with her girls' softball team which, crossing the color line and setting off a firestorm, brings big changes that will last a lifetime.

Clara Kelley is not who they think she is. She's not the experienced Irish maid who was hired to work in one of Pittsburgh's grandest households. She's a poor farmer's daughter with nowhere to go and nothing in her pockets. But the other woman with the same name has vanished, and pretending to be her just might get Clara some money to send back home. If she can keep up the ruse, that is. Serving as a lady's maid in the household of Andrew Carnegie...