explain the circumstances surronding the conflict?

Lily, our protagonist, is motherless. She lives with her father who she is detached and unhappy with. He claims that, as a small child, Lily accidently killed her mother. Lily befriends her black maid Rosaleen. Rosaleen gets arrested for a heated exchange with three racists men who beat her up. Lily travels to the town that Rosaleen is jailed to break her out. The rest of the story involves a search for clues about her mother, discovery about society and herself. If you nees more detail, just click on the link below. The GradeSaver site has some good information.