#1 New York Times bestselling author Jodi Picoult presents an intelligent, empathetic story about a woman caught in a gripping moral dilemma that resonates far beyond her place in time and history into present day.
Ruth has worked in the maternity ward for over twenty years, but when young couple Turk and Brittany Bauer are admitted to have their first child, they request that Ruth be reassigned—they are white supremacists and don't want Ruth, a black woman, to touch their baby. The hospital complies, but the baby later goes into cardiac distress when Ruth is on duty. Forced into making a difficult decision, she hesitates before rushing in to perform CPR. When her indecision ends in tragedy, Ruth finds herself on trial, represented by a white public defender who warns against bringing race into the courtroom. As the two come to develop a truer understanding of each other's lives, they begin to doubt the beliefs they each hold most dear.
Ruth has worked in the maternity ward for over twenty years, but when young couple Turk and Brittany Bauer are admitted to have their first child, they request that Ruth be reassigned—they are white supremacists and don't want Ruth, a black woman, to touch their baby. The hospital complies, but the baby later goes into cardiac distress when Ruth is on duty. Forced into making a difficult decision, she hesitates before rushing in to perform CPR. When her indecision ends in tragedy, Ruth finds herself on trial, represented by a white public defender who warns against bringing race into the courtroom. As the two come to develop a truer understanding of each other's lives, they begin to doubt the beliefs they each hold most dear.