It discusses Jessop's upbringing in the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (FLDS) polygamous community.

[5] She learned how to work around her mother's mood swings[6] and observed how other children responded to spanking, so as to mitigate some of the violence.

[13] The book portrays Jessop's experience of a loveless and dysfunctional plural marriage, her eight pregnancies, four of which were life-threatening, and the last of which very nearly killed her.

It describes her thwarted ambitions, her growing disillusionment with her husband, her conflict with Merril Jessop's older daughters, and the actions of the other wives.

This was complicated by the fact that her eldest daughter, who was her father's favorite, was opposed to what her mother had done and was determined to return to the community.