The protagonist is a teenage girl and a lesbian. Her mother thinks that if the right guy flirts with her, she will stop being a lesbian. To this end, when the protagonist has to go to a shop where she knows a particular adult man will sexually harass her, she asks her mom to go with her, but the mom refuses. The protagonist also recalls relatives making inappropriate comments about how puberty is affecting her body. We find out later in the book that the protagonist's grandma worked for her uncle when she was a teenager herself. This uncle attempted to kiss her and destroyed her reputation when she rebuffed him. We also find out that the parents of this uncle were first cousins who married to keep the wealth in the family.