The Pelican the Pearl and the Live Oak Tree

The Pelican the Pearl and the Live Oak Tree" centers on the struggle of a young man, Brad, to discover who he is, where he belongs, and about the three women who shape that struggle. It is a story of love and betrayal set in Charleston, S.C. during the civil rights upheaval. Brad, born and raised in Philadelphia, meets Blaire, a Charleston socialite, while attending school in Spain. After the couple marries and settles in Charleston Blaire's extremely conservative parents insist that Brad "learn to fit in," his wife siding with them. Brad also has trouble finding work, eventually, with the help of a powerful local lawyer, Simons Purvey, taking a job with the local poverty program, which further alienates his in-laws. The second woman is Simons' daughter, Cil, who gradually becomes Brad's closest friend. The third woman is Cathy, whom he works with in the poverty program. Stunningly beautiful but poor, Cathy has been a target of young men from good families most of her life. Against her will she and Brad become involved. As the story progresses Brad is shot; then set up for a drug bust. Eventually, he becomes the victim in a serious automobile accident that might not have been an accident. Blaire tries to change, but is overwhelmed by her parents' bigotry; Cathy flees; leaving Cil and Brad to try to put their lives back together. The story is about the beauty and grace of Charleston; it is about young socialites caught between the comforts of their birthright and their desire to join the modern world; it is about changing Black-White relationships in the deep South; it is about Blaire's struggle to break away from her parents' domination, Cathy's fear, Cil's pride, Brad's confusion...But mainly it is a story about love, set against a backdrop of lavish society balls, racial upheaval, Battery Row homes, and the inescapable rhythms of lowland beaches, marshes and swamps.