At the beginning of the novel, Marianne has lost her brother and mother, and only her father survives.

However, she has become tired of the sedentary lifestyle and runs away from the enclave to join Jewel, an articulate and intelligent leader of a barbarian tribe, but then becomes concerned at her chattel status in a society that has rigid patriarchal concepts of what constitutes appropriate gender roles.

[1] Writing for The New York Times, Richard Boston found Heroes and Villains to be "a strange, compelling book ... a fable that discusses the roles of reason and imagination in a civilized society."

He reported it to be "an undoubted success," saying "Carter tells her story with considerable skill.

"[2] Theodore Sturgeon reviewed the novel favourably, praising Carter's "vivid colour, her familiarity with her scene, the unexpectedness of her characters and plot development.