Two significant secondary characters' husbands (now dead) used to be physically and sexually abusive. The narration shows flashbacks of the women desperately fleeing from domestic violence. The female main character is kidnapped by a group of men who mean to murder her. One of them attempts to rape her first, getting as far as starting to remove her clothing before she is able to fight back and escape. The scene is brief but vividly detailed, including her emotional distress.