Traces a woman's struggle to negotiate the transition from life in the Caribbean to life in the concrete utopia of urban North America. The first part of the book takes place in Antigua and describes the lives of Sayshelle, her mother, her aunts, and their relationships with the men around them. The second part follows Sayshelle to Canada, where she makes a life for herself against the background of historical forces such as the Black Power movement, the feminist revolution and the Vietnam War.