Bride is a successful and beautiful woman, but a deeply unhappy child inside. Her mother, Sweetness, was emotionally distant from her and ashamed of her daughter because of the color of her skin. Bride's only happy childhood memory is of speaking at a trial—a day she now curses.

In her novel, Toni Morrison tells of a mother's cruelty, the rudeness of the world around her, and the rebelliousness of a little girl yearning for love. This is not just a book about family and difficult life situations; it is a story about what childhood grievances can later become.