The following version of this book was used to create this study guide: Walton, Dawnie. The Final Revival of Opal & Nev. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2021.

The novel is presented as an oral history written by SarahLena “Sunny” Shelton, the Black female first editor-in-chief of the (fictional) music magazine Aural. Sunny is the daughter of Jimmy Curtis, a drummer who was beaten to death by a racist gang in the early 1970s. That infamous riot contributed to the early fame of musicians Opal Jewel and Neville “Nev” Charles. The narrative begins in the 1960s, focusing on the respective youths of Opal and Nev. Opal was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan, and her views were heavily shaped by the fact that she bore direct witness to many events of the Civil Rights Movement. Meanwhile, Nev was born and raised in England. His parents were financially comfortable, and Nev began writing songs when he was a teenager.

In the late 1960s, Nev moved to New York City to pursue a music career. He signed with a small record company, Rivington Records, managed by a crude, selfish man named Howie Kelly. The company’s music producer, Bob Hize, decided that Nev needed a backup singer, so Nev visited music clubs around the country to find one. At a club in Detroit, Nev saw Opal sing, and he was fascinated by her performance. Opal signed with Rivington Records and moved to New York. Nev developed romantic feelings for Opal, but Opal developed a romantic/sexual relationship with Jimmy Curtis, the band’s drummer. Jimmy was married to Corinne Curtis, who at the time was pregnant with Sunny. Opal and Nev recorded their first album, which was unfortunately unsuccessful.

A few months later, Rivington held a live showcase of their most prominent bands, one of whom was a group called the Bond Brothers. The Bonds were from Florida and often used racist ideas and iconography in their work, such as the Confederate flag. A racist biker gang arrived at the show, invited by Chet Bond, leader of the Bond Brothers. During the show, Opal took the Confederate flag that Chet Bond had brought, and she hid it under her clothes. While performing, Opal revealed the flag, which was wrapped around her rear end. The gang attacked, injuring Opal and Nev, and killing Jimmy Curtis. None of the gang members were charged with crimes. The police even tried to blame the riot on Opal.

Publicity about the riot caused Opal and Nev to become famous very quickly. They toured around the country, performing sold-out shows. However, Nev eventually became addicted to drugs and had to enter rehab. During his time in rehab, his music interests changed, and he and Opal decided to work as solo artists. Among Opal’s objections, Opal stated that Nev’s music was too apolitical. Nev became increasingly famous over the years, while Opal’s fame declined.

While performing research and interviews, Sunny discovers evidence that Nev might have framed Jimmy for taking the Confederate flag on the night of the Rivington Showcase. Sunny tells this information to Opal, but Opal effuses to believe it. Decades after they parted as artists, Opal and Nev perform together at a music festival. During the performance, security personnel unfairly target and detain a Black female concertgoer. Opal leaves in a fury when Nev refuses to stop the show and address the injustice. Opal later says to Sunny that, after the music festival incident, she believes that it might be possible that Nev framed Jimmy.