In the Louisiana bayou of the 1930's, nine-year-old Shug is living and making do all on her own under the canopy of cypress trees and dangling Spanish moss. That is until her path crosses with the weathered and wise swamp queen, Sukey. It is through their tender relationship and rough adventures that the story of Shug unravels. As the tea leaves settle, bayou black water just might be thicker than blood.