Madelyn, the beloved mother of the Brightmeyer clan, is taken, leaving behind a forlorn family. One of her children, Jesse, responds to her death in a way that defies reason, her wishes, and all she and her husband had taught their children. He is devastated and crippled by her loss in a way that no one can understand. As a result, he nearly ruins his own young family, while immersing himself in a life of corruption. He falls into a grief-induced antipathy which leads to a series of inexplicably bad choices that nearly kill him and destroys all hope for a productive life. The book winds in and out of past and present moments to reveal the depth of his losses. Finally we see his redemption through the yet-to-be-fully-explored powers of Mother's Milk.