The book opens with Marie Ursule wanting to kill herself. Marie has collected poisons ready to terminate her life. Life in Trinidad is difficult following long devastation by Europeans. Therefore, along with fellow slaves, they have decided to commit mass suicide. The mass suicide occurs at the onset of the new moon. However, Marie ensures that her four-year-old daughter, Bola, survives. She leaves her with Kamena, Marie’s lover, and a runaway slave. The mass suicide by slaves compels Europeans to free slaves in the next ten years. As a result, Bola and others experience freedom.
Bola is blessed with thirteen children and ensures that they are spread in different locations to avoid being hurt in the same place. Different men sire Bola’s children. Bola’s children and grandchildren go to different parts of the world. The descendants of Marie Ursule spread out, leading lives full of trauma and pain. Among the descendants is Priest, who becomes a gangster due to harsh conditions. Most of the descendants become desperate and hopeless.
The book shows the oppression experienced by black slaves and their descendants. Oppression and sexual exploitation suffered by Marie’s descendants show how Blacks have suffered for years. Sexism and racism faced by most of the characters in the book reflect violence meted out to blacks in many years. The estranged characters from generation to generation is a clear indication of the oppression of people of color.
