As The Spanish Moss Weeps is set in 1900, Savannah, Georgia, USA, a colourful, turbulent backdrop for a story of racial tensions and relationship uncertainties. Sarah returns home from Boston, a young widow after a disastrous marriage. The home she has been longing for has changed, and holds secrets as dangerous as those she left behind. Her mother and father, Maggie and Jim Carson have lost their warmth in the face of problems of their own and are unrecognisable to Sarah. Her closest friend, Celeste, an African American housemaid, is quietly coping with her own struggles. Abused and damaged, Sarah searches her past relationships, however inappropriate for the sensibilities of the time and place, for something lasting and true.