The novel follows a young teenager named Lily on a journey to find out more about her deceased mother. Lily lives with her abusive father, who she refers to as T. Ray, and views her black housekeeper, Rosaleen, as a mother figure. At night, bees swarm in Lily’s room but disappear when T. Ray enters the room. Lily then catches the bees in a jar as proof. She enjoys going out in T. Ray’s peach orchard at night and looking at some of her mother’s belongings, such as a picture of a black Virgin Mary with the town Tiburon, South Carolina written on the back.…