Augustine, Louisiana

Augustine, Louisiana, is the fictional small town in which most of the action takes place. Interestingly, while there is no town called Augustine, there is a church in Louisiana, St. Augustine, that is said to be the first church in that state built by and for free Black people.

Benny, a young first-year teacher, applies for a position at a low-income school in this city to get her student loans forgiven. She soon realizes that the town is controlled by the powerful Gossett family. This family owns Goswood Grove plantation, a farm and home that is falling into disrepair because of a family feud. Manford and Will, the oldest members of the Gossett family, own Gossett Industries, the place where many of the people in town work. For this reason, the people do as the Gossetts want in order to keep their jobs. The Gossetts even have...