In 1970 thirteen-year-old Marika dreams of going to Harvard to study economics, but her parents both believe that a woman's place is in the home; Marika does not understand why they are so attached to "traditional values," especially since they defied convention when they were married at a time when interracial marriages were illegal in many states--so Marika defies her parents and joins her Black friend, Beth, and her parents and attends the Women's Strike for Equality without permission.