Mark Mathabane tells the stories of his sister Florah, mother Geli, and his grandmother. They have to cope with abuse, gambling, drunkenness, and infidelity from the men they love or have been forced to marry. All three women defy African tradition and the poverty and violence of life in a modern urban society, to make fulfilling lives for themselves and those they love within the context of South Africa's oppressive apartheid regime. The stories of Florah, Geli and Granny, are told in their own words, in alternating chapters that demonstrate how similiar are the problems faced by each generation - the need for an independent income to care for themselves and their children, the traditional assumption that women are property, commodities bought and sold by men, and the terrible hardship imposed not only on women but also on black men by the apartheid system. The story of these three courageous women is told with passion and sympathy, and conveys their honesty, faith, and even hopefulness in which they live.