The place is white-ruled Zimbabwe (Rhodesia) of the 1970s, the exile the African in his or her own land. Young men and women flee from their towns and villages to join the freedom fighters in the forests.

These stories, set during the years of the armed struggle, tell of the other struggle, that of the survival and anxiety of those who stayed behind. Told essentially from the women's point of view, in lyrical but unaffected prose, the stories recreate the dark atmosphere of those months full of fear and hope.

This new edition is introduced by MG Vassanji.