"If you think you can come back here and throw yourself on my mercy, you are quite wrong." After their husbands perish in a fishing boat accident, Connie Cross determines to follow her mother-in-law, Annabelle, from Southern California to Tennessee. Her misgivings begin as they cross the bridge over the muddy Mississippi River. In their new town, where living conditions are far below their previous expectations, they must set up a household and hunt for work to survive. Thanks to the kindness of Annabelle's handsome, young cousin, life begins to settle down. But Connie has a secret that could uproot them once again. Inspired by the Book of Ruth, Annabelle's Ruth is a 1950's era "Ruth" story, set in western Tennessee. How will Connie adapt to her new life amid the cotton farms, racial tension, and culture shock?