The Tattered Black Book is a story about the unlocking of secrets; secrets about love forbidden by prejudice, death at the hands of unbridled hate, and why a family history was expunged because of societal inequities.

The saga begins with eight-year-old Danny finding Charlotte’s diary and wedding photo. Curious about the people in the photograph, Danny asks her aunt, “Did you know them, Auntie?” "Yes." she answers and explains, "This book is the story of an Indian boy who dared to do what one Caucasian girl’s father deemed unforgivable.”

Alternating between Charlotte’s story starting in 1883, and Auntie’s exposé in 1951, Auntie tells Danny and Danny’s mother Diana the truth about Charlotte Wickham. Charlotte, the daughter of prominent attorney Tobias Wickham, meets Tey Aihamson, a Lenape Indian in grade school and they fall in love. But Charlotte’s father Tobias harbors a prejudice against Indians that is so deep it scarred his very soul. Unbeknownst to Tobias Charlotte and Tey run off together setting off waves of heartbreak and death that follow Charlotte for years to come.