A dark-skinned African woman who leads a glamorous life as the district manager for a cosmetics company, Bride is a self-made woman who radically revised her exterior to escape a loveless childhood and project a self-confidence that hides a deep lack of self-esteem. At the start of the novel, Bride is reeling after her lover of six months, Booker Stabern, tells her she is not the woman he wants and abandons her. His rejection of her rocks her self-confidence.

The next significant challenge to Bride’s self-confidence comes when Sofia Huxley, a woman who was convicted of child sex abuse in part because of false testimony Bride gave as a child, brutally beats Bride after Bride attempts to make restitution. The assaults to Bride’s self-esteem bring up old feelings of helplessness she has not felt since she was Lula Ann, a little girl whose mother despised her black skin. This return to helplessness is exhibited physically as Bride’s body goes through puberty in reverse.

To re-establish her confidence, Bride tracks Booker, is forced to depend on strangers for six weeks after a car accident, and finally finds Booker. After an epic argument and fight with Booker, Bride once again finds her self-possession.