Irma Voth is the nineteen year old narrator of this, Miriam Toews's fifth novel. She lives in a rural Mennonite community in Mexico. When a crew arrives to make a film about the community, Irma is immediately drawn towards the outsiders and is hired as a translator on set. But Irma's father, intractable and domineering, is determined to destroy the film and eject the interlopers. His action sends Irma on an irrevocable path towards something that feels like freedom.