Ailis Belle and Adelio Beaumont are cast into the cruel world of the Great Depression at the death of their only parent, their mother. Belle, knowing that she cannot care for Adelio, makes the decision to leave her younger brother with a loving adoptive family in Missouri while she goes to Louisiana to carve out an existence for herself. Along the way she befriends a fellow wanderer, Gideon "Highshine" Brown, a talented trumpet player and a young man with a dream of making a name for himself in the world of jazz. When Belle's life is threatened, Highshine seeks a higher power for help. That help comes in the person of Jaimin Aiton, a young preacher of the gospel with a local congregation. Eventually, Jaimin manages to set their feet on narrower paths.