by Pat Conroy

Tom Wingo, a middle-aged high school football coach and English teacher, is summoned from his home in Charleston, South Carolina to New York City to attend to his twin sister Savannah, who has remained comatose since attempting suicide. Savannah's psychiatrist, Susan Lowenstein, wants Tom to fill in many of the details in Savannah's upbringing. As Tom tells the Wingo story to Susan, he begins to uncover long-repressed memories, revealing some terrible family secrets. Gradually, the reasons why Savannah has tried to kill herself become evident.