Includes an excerpt from the author's The key to everything (pages 327-338)

"A young, restless Alabama teacher searching for a sense of purpose accepts a position at a tiny Louisiana bayou school, where a lonely Cajun fisherman, a tight-knit community, and a legendary white alligator will change her life forever"--

Ellie Fields accepts a teaching job in tiny Bernadette, Louisiana deep in bayou country to escape the familiarity of her Alabama home. Though suspicious of outsiders, most of the people come to appreciate the young schoolteacher as a boon to the town. She's soon teaching just about everyone-- and comes up against opposition from both the school board and a politician with ulterior motives. When Ellie meets a Cajun fisherman named Raphe, he introduces her to the legendary white alligator that haunts these waters. Raphe and Ellie have barely found their way to each other when a huge bounty is offered for the elusive gator, bringing about a shocking turn of events that will test their love and their will to right a terrible wrong. -- adapted from back cover