A friendship is rekindled when Mary Elizabeth Sims (ME) finds out that a friend from her past, Rene Jackson, has returned to town because of her father's death.
When a rapist is released from prison, he seeks rights to the child conceived during the act and Rene defends the victim.
Rene represents ME and her dog Scout when a sue-happy neighbor wants the dog put down.Young ME and Rene deal with living throught the Cuban Missile Crisis.
ME and Colliar find that they need new things even as they pass through the 26th year of their relationship.Young ME and Colliar kiss for the first time.
Researching a biography on Rene's father, ME unearths some questionable information.Young Rene and ME help Rene's family prep a march on Birmingham.
Rene takes a city councilman's case when they are accused of being corrupt.Young Rene faces the law when she participates in a civil rights demonstration.
Present: M.E.'s daughter, Kelly, is arrested for shoplifting and she calls Rene for help instead of M.E., which causes conflict between the two friends.Past: Rene gets her period before M.E.
Present: Mary Elizabeth's Grandmother Otis comes to live with her. Past: Grandmother Otis teaches M.E. to have a loving heart.
Present: M.E. tries to bring her friends and Rene's friends together. Also, Rene represents the parents of a child that died of AIDS. Past: Rene decides to become a lawyer after watching her father in court.
Present: Rene represents a white couple who are fighting to adopt their black foster daughter. Mary Elizabeth suffers through an ectopic pregnancy.Past: Johnny helps young Rene when she is refused service at a soda fountain and young M.E. wishes her father would change his attitude about Rene.
Present: A lesbian couple hires Rene to represent them in a lawsuit so that they can get married on public property. Also, M.E. suspects that Colliar is having an affair.Past: The girls learn about sex.
ME discovers her first bit of success at writing. Rene takes on an old Alabama law against interracial marriages.Young ME tries to stand up against her parents' advice against her writing.
Present: M.E.'s sister Teresa visits, causing trouble with Colliar. Also, Rene gets set up with a man who turns out to be a stalker.Past: Young Rene needs medical care at a segregated hospital.
ME and Colliar decide to use Grandma Otis' money to fund a construction business. Rene is stalked.In the past, ME and Rene stumble upon the Ku Klux Klan.
ME and Colliar work on their business venture. Rene catches up with her cousin who pretended to be white.Young Rene is visited by her aunt and ME feels neglected.
Present: Kelly's boyfriend is black. Also, Rene defends a man who was beaten by the police.Past: Rene has her first boyfriend.
Present: M.E. flirts with a handsome construction worker who works for Colliar. Also, Rene learns that her boyfriend isn't divorced.Past: M.E. and Rene watch Martin Luther King's march on Washington.
Present: Rene is offended when a childhood friend of M.E. and Rene's takes part in a bigoted prank during a parade. Past: M.E. and Colliar compete in a soapbox race and he breaks his leg.
Present: M.E.'s writing career gets a jump start when a publisher visits, causing M.E. to return to Port Dixie to revisit her childhood. Also, Rene is forced to deal with Detective Moody's ex-wife and kids.Past: M.E. visits her relatives in Texas and confronts the horse that threw her during her last visit.
Sexuality is the word of the day as Davis is suspended from school for improper behavior and ME and Rene debate the merits of male strip club attendence.Young ME and Rene plot to enter a boy's only club. People die in a church bombing.
ME and Rene visit Teresa, ME's sister, in Los Angeles and help her cope with a dishonest fiance. She returns to Birmingham with the two and learns that Kelly's piano teacher is the same person who taught her and also abused her.Young ME and Rene hit the road and runaway.
ME and Colliar get into an argument over her throwing him a birthday party and she gets very upset when he doesn't show up for it. Things appear more complicated when it seems he's disappeared completely. Colliar is eventually found in a hospital. Rene and Bill consummate their relationship.Young ME steals money from her mother to buy sea monkeys. Everyone tries to deal with JFK's assassination. ME confesses to her crime.