The Secret of Rose-Anne Riley is a historical fictional account of four generations of an American family. Rose-Anne is the gentle grandmother whose violent rape, covered up and papered over, continues to fester like a corrosive wound, finally emerging to darken the life of Alexia, a beautiful girl in the family's third generation. Rose-Anne's benevolent care endears her to Alexia who becomes her grandmother's confidante and companion during her final illness. The grandmother reveals the account of her violent rape by a young man who was the spoiled son of a wealthy family for whom she did housework. Before confessing this to Alexia, Rose-Anne stipulates that she must keep it a secret, and herein perhaps lies the most destructive aspect of her influence on her granddaughter. The novel deals with Rose-Anne's toxic secret and how it has come to haunt the consciousness of her granddaughter.