Follows the relationship of three young women in the early 1900s: Bella, an Italian immigrant who left her family to come to America and send money back home; Yetta, a Jew who emigrated from Russia to join her sister and an ardent unionist; and Jane, an upper class woman who despite having every amenity is unhappy because she cannot go to college, marry whom she wishes, or spend any money. The book follows the relationships among these women and their struggle with women's rights and the labor movement. The story specifically chronicles the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory strike and fire, as well as the suffrage movement, although to a lesser degree. The book highlights the difficulties immigrants faced. Great dissection of how class, gender, ethnicity, language, and so on intersect.