The novel begins with Dessa Rose imprisoned in the basement of an Alabamian Sheriff in Marengo County, Alabama, for her contribution to a slave revolt.

One of the prominent themes in the novel is the sisterhood between Dessa Rose and Ruth Sutton which further contributes to the novel being regarded as a conjoining of womanist and feminist ideals.

Dessa Rose alternatively defines freedom and agency from a female character's perspective, using distinct literary techniques.

Williams broke free of traditional stereotypes attached to this specific genre of slave narratives and showcased a new kind of multidimensional set of characters.

[citation needed] Irwin Winkler was going to direct a film adaptation in 1988 starring Natasha Richardson, Angela Bassett, Donald Sutherland, Laurence Fishburne, and Cicely Tyson; however, the film was shut down by United Artists days before shooting, with the studio writing off the $5 million (~$11.1 million in 2023) cost.