Something flew out of the bus window. A book bounced down the slope, leaving a trail of pressed flowers, postcards, and memories. The book's pages revealed a life filled with joy and sadness, marked by new beginnings and heartbreaking endings. Ultimately, the impulsive choices made by the book's owner led to the devastating loss of her children.
It was the diary of Callie Atkins Taylor that flew out the window. Her daughter, Dessie, had thrown it, not wanting anything to do with her mother, vowing her children would never know their grandmother's name. Dessie was successful — that is, until generations later, someone started asking questions. 
 
Growing up in Kentucky, Callie was born into a large loving family. Granny and PaPaw lived nearby. Granny baked strawberry pies and PaPaw told wild tales of his youth traveling with gypsies. Annabelle, the schoolteacher gave her a view of a world beyond the banks of the Cumberland River. 
This all changed and her teen years found her the wife of a much older man; she tried to make the best of things. Tobacco farming was a hard life, especially in the midst of the Tobacco Wars with the Night Riders terrorizing everyone around.
 
She searched for a way out and found one when the Moonshine Boys offered her a way to travel and enjoy life in Saint Louis during the Roaring 20s. 
It was all perfect until it wasn't.