The book traces the experience of Lakshmi, a young East Indian migrant girl from an agricultural village called Rajipur in Uttar Pradesh, India. Lakshmi led a simple, carefree life, which changed when she lost her family in the floods of 1860 and faced neglect and abuse. Desperate for a better life and good pay, she accepted a local recruiter’s offer of work in Guyana. Before leaving, Lakshmi married a young man she met at the Emigration Office in Calcutta - it was a marriage of convenience to ensure her safety as she embarked into the unknown. The book reflects on Lakshmi’s family, history and culture which, despite the arduous conditions of indentureship, are evident in Guyanese society today.

The author, Dr. Walter Anthony Rodney (1942-1980), was a Guyanese historian and activist, who wrote the book to teach African children in the diaspora about their history and their ancestors’ journey to the Americas.