A gripping historical novel about two mothers, still reeling from the loss of a beloved soldier, whose opposing views on an impending Gold Star pilgrimage ignite personal journeys of their own.

When the path to peace is divided by injustice, how far will two mothers go to say goodbye?

It’s 1933—the final year of the American-sponsored pilgrimage to France for all Gold Star Mothers and Widows of U.S. soldiers lost overseas during the Great War. Yet in a nation divided by Jim Crow, not even grief can escape segregation. As the last pilgrimage of mourners prepare to travel abroad—with white women on luxury liners and Black women on cargo ships—some must decide if the long, segregated journey is worth the unfair treatment.

One widow wants to remember...

Thelma Hayes just wants to see her husband again—or at the very least, his final resting place. Having been widowed one year after marrying the love of her life, Thelma would give anything to unite her fourteen-year-old son with the father he’s never met. Even if that means petitioning for her surly mother-in-law’s place on that ship. But getting aboard won’t come easy, and it certainly won’t come without some sacrifice.

One mother refuses to forget...

Having survived the murder of her husband, the destruction of her home, and later the death of her only son, Charlotte Hayes refuses to let anyone take anything else from her. Standing firm in protest against the segregated pilgrimage to France, Charlotte vows not to accept anything less than equal acknowledgment of her son’s sacrifice. Though she longs to visit the site of his final resting place, no one can convince Charlotte to dishonor his memory by accepting anything less than respect and equality.

Bound together by their love for one fallen soldier, yet divided by their stance on how to honor his memory, these two grieving women must decide what they value most: standing up against the atrocities of Jim Crow or getting to say goodbye one last time.