At the novel’s beginning, Sara is portrayed as a woman drowning in feelings of failure. Her restaurant has closed, her marriage is ending, and she is in danger of losing custody of her daughter. She feels disconnected from herself and her passion for food and is unsure of her career. Sara’s experience represents a woman trapped by societal expectations and limitations placed upon her. Forced between prioritizing her career and family life, Sara tried to balance both and collapsed under the pressure. She describes hiding behind her physical strength and tattoos: “My strong body became a costume, a shell” (230). When her beloved Aunt Rosie dies, she leaves Sara a plane ticket and a note to return to Sicily. Sara must choose to take a leap into the unknown by trusting herself and Rosie.

As Sara delves deeper into her family history, her curiosity grows, and she becomes more connected to her roots. Determined to uncover the truth about Serafina’s fate and reclaim a lost part of her heritage, Sara risks her safety to piece together the puzzle of Serafina’s mysterious death. Sara’s investigation leads her to confront not only the past injustices faced by her family but also her emotional baggage.