The dawn of postwar Paris in the 1940s: for one family, it’s a time of celebration, danger, and liberating romance in a breathtaking novel by the author of The Daughter of Union County.

Paris in 1944 is emerging from a devastating war. So are proud Martinican immigrants Marie-Thérèse Brillard and her two children, Collette and Christophe. In their vibrant neighborhood of Montmartre—a multicultural haven for artists, musicians, and writers—Collette and Christophe long for romance and excitement. As they’re swept up in the jubilation following the Nazis’ departure, they embark on love affairs that are the stuff of impossible dreams—forbidden, too, in the eyes of their vigilant and apprehensive mother.

Christophe stumbles into the arms of an irresistible woman who harbors a secret that could change both their fates. Collette has a defiant passion for a white Frenchman. Even Marie-Thérèse’s attraction to a handsome black soldier is not without its risks. For each of them, love could be a new beginning…or it could cost them everything.