LILI'S STORY is a tale of love and betrayal, struggle and reward, greed and generosity. It opens in 1886, in a South still recovering from the Civil War. Among struggling neighbors, Frank Wallace has built a highly successful farm while failing in relations with his family. His only child, Hank, is a misfit whose need for affection and acceptance is exploited by a fast-talking townie, Deuce Shiflet. Deuce discovers Frank Wallace's secret shame and sets in motion a succession struggle as he seeks to embezzle the wealth of the Wallace Farm The story then moves to town, where Seth Cormier, eight years younger than Hank, idolizes Athena, his beautiful and intelligent cousin. He disgraces himself in college and, to regain his self-respect, leaves home to work as a farm laborer at the McLane Farm, where his uncle is Steward. As he climbs the ladder from laborer to foreman to his uncle's apprentice, he develops affection for Katy, whose love helps him forget Athena -- so he thinks. In 1920, the story returns to the Wallace Farm when Seth is hired as its Steward by Lili's dying mother. In accepting guardianship of 13- year-old Lili and her farm, he earns the hatred of her father Hank. Re-entering as Lili's teacher and mentor, Athena brings conflict to Seth as he struggles to honor his commitment to Katy, even as his love for Athena rekindles. Lili's love for neighbor Luke McClaren incites Hank's rage and reignites Deuce Shiflet's scheming. In the exciting conclusion, Lili, the youngest and most improbable of them all, cures Hank's waywardness and resolves the love triangle that ensnarls Seth and Athena.