The book opens with one cousin going home to her father then writing another cousin and sharing her poetry that reflects her work environment and her life in the new city: the bitterness of a promise of a better paying job if you go to college and the rat race that occurs with all the over qualified personnel interacting. The story ends with the other cousin who follows a route not endorsed by her parents (but it is what she wants to do) and the struggles to maintain her independence and her observances in her new environment.