Ruby (Landy) Dumas

Ruby (Landry) Dumas is the seventeen-year-old protagonist of the novel. She was raised by her Cajun grandmother on the bayou until she discovers the identity of her wealthy father in New Orleans, and goes to live with him, her stepmother Daphne, and her twin sister Gisselle. Ruby is kind and optimistic, always looking for the best in people around her. Gisselle characterizes her as a "goody two shoes," and in general, she is, getting good grades and obeying the rules as best she can. Because she was raised in a Cajun community, the authorities at Greenwood look down on her as racially inferior. They blame her upbringing for her occasionally fierce independence and willingness to speak her mind. Mrs. Ironwood views Ruby as a rebel, but in reality, Ruby believes that fate guides her life, and this belief means she reacts passively to most situations she...