Emmalee Bullard is on her own with a new baby. She has no husband, no running water in her house, no know-how about caring for an infant, and no help from her cruel father, who's furious she got herself into this situation. Only Leona Lane, the older seamstress who sat beside her sewing collars on the neighboring machine at the local shirt factory, has befriended her. Much to Emmalee's wonder, Leona even offers her a place to live. But before Emmalee can jump at the chance for a better life, Leona is in a terrible accident, and her life is lost, along with Emmalee's chance for escape.

Emmalee decides that since nothing in Leona's closet is nice enough to wear for eternity, she'll make Leona's burying dress herself, though there are plenty of people who don't think someone who has so obviously sinned should design a dress for an upstanding woman--or care for a child on her own. While relatives scheme to get custody of her baby and the local church tries to keep her away from Leona's funeral, Emmalee struggles to do what is right for her daughter and to honor Leona the best way she can, finding unlikely support among an indomitable group of seamstresses and the town's funeral director. In this moving tale exploring Southern spirit, camaraderie among working women, and the power of compassion, a young mother compels a town to become a community with every stitch.