Maryse Condé, bestselling author of the 1980s, returns with the story of her grandmother. Victoire Quidal grows up in a poor family in Guadeloupe at the end of the 19th century. Although she never learns to read or write and only speaks Creole, she lays the foundation for her descendants' social ascent as a talented cook. This is the fascinating life journey of a woman in a racist and patriarchal society, as well as a depiction of life in the French Caribbean during the colonial era.