Twin sisters Stella and Desiree Vignes are Black but could pass as white: They come from the fictional Black town of Mallard, where the residents pride themselves on the lightness of their skin. One day, Stella decides to fully cross over into the white world, abandoning her past and her family in search of a discrimination-free life. Brit Bennett’s epic multigenerational tale follows both sisters and their daughters as they deal with the repercussions of this choice, and traces the unpredictable ways that personal decisions and societal rules interact.