Summary

In Part I: "The Lost Twins (1968)," Chapter 1, in April 1968, 14 years after leaving her childhood home in Mallard, Louisiana, Desiree Vignes returned. Local diner owner, Lou LeBron reported the news, shocked that one of the missing twins was back. The biggest surprise was Desiree’s dark-skinned daughter, Jude. Because Mallard was originally founded for light-skinned African Americans, no one could believe Jude was really her child.

In 1954, Desiree and her twin Stella had fled Mallard, per Desiree’s urging. Initially, Stella was reluctant to leave their mother, but finally agreed. In New Orleans they worked in a laundry for little money.

Before leaving Mallard, Stella had been a devoted student, determined to become a teacher. After the girls' father was violently murdered in front of them by white men for indiscriminate reasons, Adele struggled to provide. She pulled the girls out...