As the daughter of famous parents and an even more famous grandmother, Carrie Manning begins a journey that will take her deep into their past. The death of Carrie's mother has set her free to finally find the answers to questions that have tortured and confused her for her entire life.

Why wouldn't Carrie's mother have any contact with her mother, the grandmother Carrie has never met? Why wouldn't she ever speak of Carrie's own father, and why, when there is money to burn, does she throw it all into homeless shelters and sleep on the couch of their one-bedroom apartment so Carrie can have the bed? Most of all, Carrie wants to know why it's so bad to feel happy.

The journey begins with Carrie's great-grandmother, a woman who gave up everything for her husband and her family, but refused to allow her daughter to make her own choices. It continues on into the twisted relationship of Carrie's grandmother and Carrie's mother, both strong-willed and in their own way unbelievably self-centered.

SERENDIPITY is an exploration of the life experiences that molded these women's lives and the lives of those close to them. Mother-daughter relationships are always fascinating and complex, and Ms. Shaffer does an amazing job of putting the pieces together for us.