On Blue Basin island, where every house is painted in an evil-repelling blue, people never say they have “fallen” for someone. The island’s inhabitants are the souls of formerly enslaved Africans who have flown away from Earth not to heaven or purgatory, but towards freedom and a new life. Falling mid-flight would mean irreversible death, so instead they choose to turn Love’s Face to one another.
Lucille, the island’s seamstress, constantly turns Love’s Face outwards, and while she is widely adored, the human side of her struggles with growing resentment about how much of her selfhood is wrapped in other people’s well-being. Lucille also takes a divine form, and as the spirit who is love and vengeance, she revels in the immense power she wields.
Yet, they are not totally insulated from the world where they were enslaved. Each time a Black person anywhere is harmed, a piece of Blue Basin disintegrates. As threats against Black life on Earth continue to worsen, more people fly to Blue Basin, and Lucille juggles the responsibility of ensuring everyone’s safety while seeking and losing love in her personal life. She becomes increasingly weary of turning with Love to everyone but herself. Will she be able to reconcile the crisis between her human and divine selves without compromising the island’s safety?
