When 10-year-old Sylvia Freeman moves to Wakeview, South Carolina, she's sure that her summer is going to be plain ol' boring—that is until she meets her 99-year-old neighbor, Miz Lula Maye. It's always been just Sylvia and her momma, but as the hot summer days pass, she finds herself heading down the dusty dirt road that runs from her house to Miz Lula Maye's more and more. With Miz Lula Maye, everything is an adventure, whether they're swaying on the porch swing or chasing after missing cats. Then, one day, a stranger comes to town with news about Sylvia's past that changes her life forever. With her world turned upside-down, what can Sylvia do?

When her mother goes to Florida in 1978, ten-year-old Sylvia stays behind in South Carolina, but when she fails to make new friends at school, she realizes that her newly-discovered great-grandmother and best friend, Miz Lula Maye, might be the problem.

Sylvia and Miz Lula Maye are back! And Sylvia is in for a big surprise when Miz Lula Maye tells her about secret holes. Secret holes, Miz Lula Maye explains, were places where people used to keep money and important papers. They could be anywhere--under a loose floorboard, behind a wall, or even inside a bedpost. Between getting to know her newfound daddy, frying up fritters, and helping uncover hiding places from long ago, Sylvia decides to draw a picture of her family tree. With Miz Lula Maye's help she fills in her daddy's side. But what about her momma's? Sylvia doesn't know, and her momma's not telling. While looking for answers, Sylvia uncovers the biggest secret of all--a secret that changes everything she ever thought she knew.