A fictionalized biography of the eighteenth-century African woman who, as a child, was brought to New England to be a slave, and after publishing her first poem when a teenager, gained renown throughout the colonies as an important black American poet.

Challenged to write a poem about a historical whaler her Cape Cod community reveres, a creative girl discovers the poetry journal of a 19th-century woman who shared a romance with a mysterious sea captain.

Hope lives in a small town with nothing to do and nowhere to go. With a drug addict for a brother, she focuses on the only thing that keeps her sane, writing poetry. To escape, she jumps at the chance to attend Ravenhurst Academy as a boarding student. She'll even put up with the clique-ish Ravens if it means making a fresh start. At first, Ravenhurst is better than Hope could have dreamed. She has a boyfriend and a cool roommate, and she might finally...