Sydney Green

Sydney is a 30-year-old Black woman who returns to her mother’s house at Gifford Place after suffering a traumatic divorce from her ex-husband, Marcus. In Seattle, Marcus psychologically manipulated Sydney and had her institutionalized against her will, causing Sydney to doubt her instincts and ability to make rational conclusions.

Sydney works as a school administrator, but she spends the summer organizing a historical tour of Gifford Place to correct the exclusion of Black residents from another tour catering to white visitors. Sydney juggles medical expenses, aggressive real estate agents, racist encounters, and community garden upkeep while harboring a dark secret about her absent mother. Sydney relies on her longtime best friend, Drea, to help her manage panic attacks until Drea disappears. Sydney reluctantly befriends Theo, a well-intentioned but ignorant white neighbor, as Gifford Place gentrifies at an alarming rate.

Sydney and Theo become romantically involved while...