Crossroads is a journey in the central character’s life, Paris Pennington. The setting is Indianapolis, Indiana, in the early 2000s. Indianapolis is the twelfth largest city in the United States and is best known as the home of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Where the Indy 500 Race is held annually. The downtown area is well organized, with lots of hotels and restaurants around all the major attractions. But crime is a social problem that does not lend itself to analyzing or treating a city’s face-lift for tourists. The main character, Paris Pennington, is a type-A, non-nonsense powerhouse in the financial community in Indianapolis. However, she is forced to fulfill her civic duty and participate in a murder trial as a juror in a case involving the death of a 15-year-old girl. The case and being nominated as jury foreman created a landslide of harrowing events. The first betrayal is the perceived mistake of a judge giving out the jury foreman’s name (Paris Pennington). The consequence of this event is that Paris Pennington’s life is turned upside down. She is introduced to the world of drama, illness, death, and betrayal, which her well-organized life is ill-prepared for, and her life begins to fall apart.