Belinda knows how to follow the rules; as a housegirl, she has learned the right way to polish water glasses, to wash and fold a hundred handkerchiefs, and to keep a tight lid on memories of the village she left behind when she came to Kumasi. Mary is still learning the rules; the young housegirl-in-training is the little sister Belinda never had. Amma has had enough of the rules; a straight-A student at her exclusive London school, she has always been the pride of her Ghanaian parents. Watching their once-confident teenager grow sullen and wayward, the family decide that sensible Belinda is the shining example Amma needs. Belinda is summoned from Ghana to London, where she tries to impose order on her unsettling new world. Belinda and Amma are surprised to discover common ground-- but the secrets they have both been holding begin to seep out.