"Essie, a young black woman in 1880s Savannah, is offered the opportunity to leave her shameful past and be transformed into an educated, high-society woman in Washington, D.C." -- (Source of summary not specified)

A young black woman in 1880s Savannah, Essie is trapped between the life she has and the life she wants-- until she meets Dorcas Vashon, the richest and most cultured black woman she's ever encountered. Dorcas transforms Essie into Victoria: with a fine wardrobe, a classic education, and the rules of etiquette, Victoria is soon welcomed in the upper echelons of black society in Washington, D. C. When the life she desires is finally within her grasp, Victoria must decide how much of herself she is truly willing to surrender. -- adapted from jacket