An emotional Zarah returns to Kingston after fleeing to her boyfriend in New York years earlier. Zarah returns to her parents and grandmother as a broken woman. Her story is told along with three other heartbreaking stories from the women in her family. For example, Great-grandmother Pearlie was born into a family that didn’t love her because of her skin color. Then there was Grandmother Naomi, who lost her mother at a young age and was taken in by an amoral pastor before escaping to save her daughter and mother. The other account is about Esther. She worked hard to get out of poverty, although like was far from perfect.

Coke’s family saga jumps between 2002 (the present-day of the novel), and back into much of the twentieth century. Throughout, family hardships rise due to several factors, including cultural/religious beliefs, poverty, racism, classism, sexual assault, and unexpected teenage pregnancy. Another thing that connects them in their trauma is lost love, a key factor in the separate downfalls of the characters.

For instance, Zarah’s grandmother loved a man named Miles, who left her to go to America. Meanwhile, his mother didn’t want her around because of where she came from. At the same time, she was pregnant with Esther. Years later, Esther found herself a good man and a good father for Zarah, but because of generational trauma, she ruined her happiness by having an affair. Such emotional poignancy helps make the author's novel both harrowing and absorbing, and readers will likely find themselves racing to the very last page. Fortunately for them, the story wraps up perfectly. Coke’s writing style shines through brilliantly in this accomplished work.

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