Xuela, a childless Dominican woman in her 70s whose own mother died while giving birth to her, tells the story of a life filled with tragedy and small triumphs: Sent at birth to live in the home of her father's washerwoman, she moves back to her father's house after seven years and must fend off the murderous rage of her jealous stepmother. The neglect and cruelty she suffers as a child sets the pattern for her life, as Xuela treats herself and others with calculated and often cruel disregard.