Raised in a New Orleans mansion filled with kindness and laughter, Pearl dreams of becoming a doctor. With all the finest families wishing her well, her high school graduation party is almost as festive as Mardi Gras itself. But the sultry Louisiana heat only seems to intensify her family's sinful legacy and when a cruel accident befalls one of Pearl's twin brothers, her tormented mother flees back to her Cajun roots.

Pearl's faith in her mother abides, but she cannot hold back tears when her other brother falls deathly ill, and her father retreats into his own bourbon-soaked world. As her dreams of success swirl away with the hurricane winds, Pearl journeys to the swamps in search of her mother and the shocking truths of her heritage. Luckily, she discovers a blessed refuge in the warm embrace of a gentle Cajun man. But, until the storm clouds clear, Pearl cannot savor the springtime sweetness that always, always seems beyond tomorrow.