Nineteenth-Century New Orleans is the backdrop for this emotional drama of a world filled with despair and secrets. When Philippe Ferronaire, the cousin of Magloire Dazincourt, a southern sugar plantation owner, is asked to take over the business, he's also asked to care of his colored mistress, Cecile Ste. Marie. When Magloire dies, Philippe and Cecile have a son named Marcel. Philippe promises to have their son properly educated in Paris. But social and racial matters change the course for Marcel and when financial problems hit hard, Marcel is instead put to work as an undertaker and Philippe is forced to marry his daughter off to the son of a black businessman.