Book excerpt: Fifteen-year-old Braden Brad Cleary comes from a family that has always faulted others for their own misfortunes in life. To put it bluntly-the Clearys hate people of color. Thirteen-year-old Beth Ann Armstrong is biracial child whose father harbors exceptional bitterness toward whites. As Beth grows up next to Braden, she has no idea the Cleary family is off -limits. She and Braden are too naïve to understand their families' hatred toward one another. Known throughout the town as troublemakers, the Clearys have built up a horrifying reputation. And, as soon as they see their son talking to Beth, they call the sheriff to haul Braden away and frame him for a crime he did not commit- their hatred overpowering their love for Braden in their attempt to keep him away from Beth. Plagued by nightmares of Braden being taken away in a patrol car, Beth attempts to convince her father to intervene and help her friend, but instead, he lies and tells her that Braden has died in a tragic prison fight. Unaware of the truth, both Braden and Beth embark on their own journeys to return to the past and, in the process, discover that God does indeed work in mysterious ways.