Frances Trollope attempts to write a biography of her radical friend Fanny Wright, only to find her own life and past misadventures overtaking the narrative. Frances Trollope, a woman in her seventies, navigates the complexities of memory and resentment as she recounts her 1820s association with the firebrand Fanny Wright. The narrative follows their shared experiences in the United States, where they faced extreme poverty and frontier challenges while pursuing utopian ideals. The story is framed as a memoir-within-a-novel, where the protagonist's objective to document another woman's life is constantly undermined by her own subjective biases and personal history. The world is defined by the rigid social structures of the nineteenth century, contrasted against the chaotic, untamed reality of the American frontier and the political fervor of the era.

Readers frequently highlight the sharp, witty prose that characterizes the protagonist's voice throughout the narrative. Discussion often centers on the balance between the historical accuracy of the setting and the fictionalized, often unreliable nature of the narrator's perspective. Critics note the effectiveness of the author in capturing the atmosphere of the 1820s while maintaining a modern, questioning tone regarding the nature of idealism. The work is often praised for its complex characterization of two women who defy the conventions of their time. Readers appreciate how the narrative avoids simple hero-worship, instead focusing on the flawed and human aspects of its historical subjects.