Mattie Fisher’s three daughters know that she’s been keeping a key from them. With each item taken from the favorite family hope chest, they’ve discovered a new idea about their mother’s previous.

But there’s a reason Mattie has been keeping her history hidden, and she’s not sure she’s prepared to reopen old wounds. Will dredging up the past change the way her children view her? Or her relationship to their father? And will she handle the pain of revisiting the recollections that preceded the last few happy decades?

Mattie’s story is among grief and understanding how to love again. But just like the best things preserved in a hope chest, it’s a tale of love and redemption born out of heartache-and it’s overdue to talk about it.