In the summer of 1967 fourteen-year-old Marie has not come to terms with her parents recent divorce. Sensitive and vulnerable, Marie tries very hard to appease everyone. To take her mind off her distress her uncle sends her to spend two weeks on her cousins Missouri farm. While there, she uncovers a long-buried family secret. Prompted by a mysterious apparition caught in an oak tree, Marie begins to investigate. With the help of her cousin, her aunt, and a reclusive mixed-blood Osage neighbor Marie succeeds in setting the apparition free. In the process she also frees her family from generations of prejudice and guilt. Though set in the past, Gossamer Ties is a story for today. More than anything else it is a story of family, forgiveness, and acceptance.