Curtis was born in a small village on the island of Dominica. Always a loner, Curtis had no friends and grew up with hatred in his heart for mankind. As a child, Curtis was physically and sexually abused by his father while his mother stood by helplessly. Curtis hated his parents, and at the tender age of ten, he killed his father. After receiving his School Leaving Certificate, Curtis relocated to Roseau, the capital of Dominica, where he met Aileen, who tricked him into marrying her by getting pregnant. Curtis despised Aileen and refused to engage in further sexual relations with her. Instead, he found sexual gratification by molesting their daughter, Pearl, thereby continuing the cycle of child abuse.

When Pearl reached dating age, Curtis did everything in his power, even committing murder, to thwart the attention of her suitors. Pearl suffered in silence until she met Antiguan born Ken Winsotn when she and her father relocated to St. Croix.

The novel's characters display a variety of emotions, including humor, love, greed, lust and anger. The story ends with a dramatic climax when Pearl discovers her father's atrocities and her fury is unleashed.