Cecile Rey, whose prosperous family are free people of color, makes friends with Marie-Grace Gardner, a doctor's daughter who has just returned to her native New Orleans in 1853, and persuades her to change places at their separate Mardi Gras balls.

In 1858 Cecile's summer is off to a glowing start. She loves spending time with her older brother, Armand, who is finally home from France. And she and her friend Marie-Grace enjoy helping at a nearby orphanage, playing with the children. But a shadow falls over the bright summer when Cecile hears that a terrible sickness--yellow fever--is spreading.

Now that the yellow fever epidemic is over, the people of New Orleans raise money to care for the orphans, and C©♭cile seeks to discover something special she can to do help.