45 pages • 1 hour read
Marissa StapleyA modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Content Warning: This section contains references to miscarriage, assault, and violence.
Margaret Jean—a con artist—pretends to be a nun to hide from her enemies. She hears a baby crying outside while she is on watch for the night and opens the door. When she gets outside, a man comes by and picks up the baby. He introduces himself as John and explains that his wife is experiencing a mental health crisis and left the baby there, who is named Luciana. Margaret Jean blesses the baby and her father and gives the man her gold cross to sell for food. She genuinely hopes that they are lucky.
In 2008, Luciana changes clothes in a gas station bathroom. The old outfit belonged to someone whom she calls Alaina (later revealed to be an identity that she adopts), and she starts calling herself Lucky when she puts on the minidress and stilettos. She buys snacks and impulsively also buys a lottery ticket. Outside, Lucky gives the old outfit, and money, to a person asking for change. Then, she gets in the car with her boyfriend, Cary, and they head towards Vegas. They talk about getting a place in Dominica and finding their lost dog, Betty.