Controversial painter Elaine Risley returns to her childhood home of Toronto and reminisces strongly about her life and youth, particularly about one of her 'best friends', Cordelia. Switching between her present age and working up from childhood, Elaine reflects on her experiences with female relationships and how her social bullying at the hands of her so-called friends (mainly Cordelia) influenced her life and art. As she grows up and begins to go forward in life, she finds it harder to find a place among women and holds onto a lot of guilt and anger left over from her past. A prominent theme in this book is the construction of identity, as well as the meaning of femininity.