Lanette Ware-Bushfield

Eighteen-year-old Grace Robinson, an African-American classical piano prodigy from Spanish Harlem, faces a life-altering upheaval after the sudden death of her father, a local jazz legend. Sent to live with distant relatives in the vibrant community of Little Burgundy, Quebec, she struggles to escape her father’s shadow while navigating the challenges of her new life. Caught between the expectations of a loving but distracted mother, a hard-nosed music teacher, and Nigerian relatives she knows little to nothing about, Grace often finds herself trapped within the rhythm of her upbringing and the symphony of newfound conformity. Impulsive and impatient, she yearns for the grit of New York, determined to honor the scholarship she and her father earned. However, life has other plans.

Throughout all the challenges and changes, Grace experiences debilitating migraines and meets her future self, with whom she forms a symbiotic relationship. Future Grace, 40s, whispers comforts of inner reflection and strength, blurring the lines between past, present, and destiny. In the end, Grace is led on a path of self-discovery and comes to learn the meaning of her father’s famous last words: “To thine own self be true” where she will realize it’s because she never fit in, that she can stand out.