Madelene Quaid had a secret. She had kept it for years, but she could keep it no longer. Today, she would tell her daughters the truth.

Madelene inhaled deeply and wondered whether she could pinpoint the moment when her life had begun to tarnish. Was it the day she met him? The day she married him? Or that other day? She would never forget that day, for it had hung on her soul like heavy chains for the last fifty years...

Living in a small town during World War II, Madelene carries the burden of teenage pregnancy, a disparaging preacher father, and an abusive alcoholic husband. She faces these and many other ordeals, not knowing the freedom available to her through the grace of God.

But Madelene finds wonderful friends at a boarding house who show her the true qualities of love and family. Through her reading of God's Word, Madelene realizes that grace comes freely from God--she doesn't need to earn it. God is never out of grace for anyone, no matter what they've done.

​