The best-selling author of Blink identifies the qualities of successful people, posing theories about the cultural, family, and idiosyncratic factors that shape high achievers, in a resource that covers such topics as the secrets of software billionaires, why certain cultures are associated with better academic performance, and why the Beatles earned their fame.

A ticket from an Apollo booking agent separates two eastern Kentucky friends at a time when segregation was the law of the land. Join quiet piano player Audrey Martin and her best friend, a black girl whose dad was thrown in jail for killing her mom, as they travel two very different roads. While Audrey lives her dream, Caroline faces the tall task of chasing her own dreams in a country that does not take kindly to black girls with ambition.