Family Tree

He dotes on his wife while she adores her husband. Both Hugh and Dana Clarke are eagerly awaiting the birth of their first child, but when Lizzie is born, both parents are shocked to see she has Afro-American features, including skin color and hair. The Clarke family came over on the Mayflower and the patriarch is a rich, published author who lives in a wealthy neighborhood where residents are old money.

When they come to the hospital to see their grandchild, Hugh’s father becomes furious, claiming his daughter-in-law had an affair with a black man or, if not, she has black blood in her ancestry. Other relatives and friends comment on Lizzie’s features and Hugh asks for a paternity test in the hope that it will shut people up. Dana is heartbroken that her husband made such a request and a schism in their loving marriage opens. Hugh needs to know what relatives in Dana’s family are black, and the only person it could be is her unknown father. Yet when they confront him, he provides positive proof that there is no African blood in his family. Dana doesn’t care because she thinks how Lizzie looks is insignificant, but Hugh pursues the subject and ends up shocked at what he learns.

Family Tree is a heartwarming family drama.

•