Clare Kendry, fair, elegant, and ambitious, is married to a white man who is unaware of her African American heritage. She has severed all ties to her past. Clare's childhood friend, Irene Redfield, just as light-skinned, has chosen to remain within the African American community, but refuses to acknowledge the racism that continues to constrict her family's happiness. In a tragic clash of identities, their relationship swings between emotional hostility and intense attraction.