Barbara Aseke, a ten-year-old primary school pupil, is brutally circumcised and dies from haemorrhage. Her needless death outrages the sensibilities of many, including Dr. Blankson who is unable to save her life. When, in spite of the tragedy, Dr. Blankson’s wife Sarah, wilfully submits herself and undergoes genital mutilation, she reveals the ethnic and cultural diversity that tears their marriage apart. Dutch missionary, Father Willem van Ruisdeal, concerned organisations, Dr. Yvonne Alhassan, Dr. Blankson and even a subdued Sarah, work tirelessly together to eradicate the harmful and obnoxious traditional practice, particularly in the north of Ghana.

The novel tells in lurid details the harrowing experiences and the suffering of millions of girls and women in Africa and thousands of African immigrants in the Western World.