Both the products of affairs, Amelia Marie Green and James Preston Hunt, didn't initially understand what it meant to be "outside" children. It isn't until Amelia is confronted by children at school about her mother being a homewrecker and James being dropped off to the man he never knew, that they finally understand just what that term means.

Forced to deal with the decisions their parents made in the deep south, Amelia and James are left with no choice but to play the hands they were dealt. Each maneuvers through life separately, that is until their paths cross again in adulthood.

Falling in love with each other, they both know exactly what it is that they want when tragedy strikes. They discover painfully that the one thing that bonds them also has the potential to destroy them.