Hush Now, Don't Explain

Set in a small Ohio town after World War II, this coming-of-age tale by Must (Oh, Don't Ask Why) features two main characters. Honor is an orphan who comes to Miss Alsada's boarding house in Deforest Junction, where her mother had once been a guest, searching for clues about her parentage. Billy, Miss Alsada's son, is a mixed-race teenager and budding piano player looking for the father he never knew. Neighbors in Deforest Junction include Mr. Willard, the owner of a shanty store, who regales the children with stories of his adventures—none of which is true. And for one brief but critical moment, there's Buster Stanley, a blues pianist whom Billy comes to believe is his father. Following a racial incident, Honor and Billy leave town, accompanied by Mr. Willard, on a quest to find Stanley. Their adventures will take them to West Virginia and New York City, and, finally, on a tumultuous journey to New Orleans, where Billy will seek his artistic voice and Honor something of her past.