Uma Restia de Azul

Eighteen-year-old Caucasian Selina D'Arcey lives with her part-time prostitute mother, Rose-Ann D'Arcey in the one-room tenement apartment of Selina's drunkard grandfather, whom she calls Ole Pa. Selina has been blind since age 5, the result of an accident Rose-Ann caused. Selina has never attended school, and on Rose-Ann's direction she lives as a shut-in, only cleaning the apartment and cooking dinner, which must be on the table by the time Rose-Ann gets home or else. The only other thing Selina does is string beads for Mr. Faber to supplement what little money comes into their household. Ole Pa and Rose-Ann are always griping at each other; Ole Pa only helps Selina when he knows it will irk Rose-Ann. Rose-Ann is abusive toward Selina, who has no reason to doubt whatever abuse is thrown her way from her mother is not the truth, especially the implications that she is not pretty. Selina doesn't even really know that she has a miserable life because of her family. One day, Mr. Faber takes Selina to the park, which exposes her to life outside the apartment, and she is able to convince Ole Pa to take her to the park first thing in the morning, and there she will string more beads than she has ever done in one day, and he will pick her up on his way home from work. On her first trip to the park, Selina meets Gordon Ralfe, an educated young man who slowly learns of her situation. The more he learns about her, the more he wants to help her become more self-sufficient and independent. What he and most of the world can see, but she can't, is that he is Black. Gordon has no ulterior motives beyond being Selina's friend and wanting her to have a good life. But he also knows that problems can and will ensue due to public scrutiny, and even more so if Rose-Ann or Ole Pa would find out about him. The situation gets more complicated as Selina falls in love with him, perhaps not knowing the difference between romantic love and other types of human connection. Gordon's choice of what to do may be easier for him to decide but no less difficult to achieve if he knew that Rose-Ann, based on her prostitute friend Sadie's scheme, believes that Selina is now old enough to get into the business herself to add even more income to Rose-Ann's pocket.