She has been pressured by the Louisiana lawyer of Willie Pedreau, the caretaker of Miranda's grandparents' estate in Louisiana. Willy is dying and wants to see her before he dies. Miranda finally acquiesces and leaves for the Bayou country. There she learns from Willy the twisted history of her family's life, of the secrets which led her to the exile from her home. The truth of the buried past may well cost her her life. She finds that nothing has ever been as it seemed, It involves the tattoo on her scalp which she never knew she had. The shocking secrets of the family go back decades.

The book is well written and full of suspense. It keeps the reader guessing through the twists and turns of the story. The setting of the Bayou country is so perfectly described that you can imagine being there. The characters are portrayed as real human beings. Miranda is an interesting, smart woman who learns about trust and faith. The plot is unusual with the historical aspects of the history and culture of the Cajun people.

Reading Whispers of the Bayou led me to reread after many years Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's "Evangeline," giving some of the background of the Cajun people.