This story explores the perspective of Chicha, a "foreigner" who is a Westernized African woman, on the marriage traditions of a small Fanti village. Maami Ama confides to Chicha that she has endured an unhappy marriage for seven years to a man named Kodjo Fi. Despite being his first wife, he has completely ignored her and their son, allowing his family to shun her. Kodjo Fi is depicted as "a selfish and domineering man, whom no respectable woman should have married." Maami Ama's "official divorce" from Kodjo Fi reveals to Chicha the traditional beliefs and practices of her culture that she either hadn't known or had forgotten. The divorce proceedings take place at the home of a village woman, attended by community members seeking entertainment. When Chicha arrives, it's already decided that Kwesi will be taken from Maami Ama, who has raised him, and given to his father, who has neglected him until now. Additionally, Maami Ama must pay various fees to her husband, which she cannot afford. Kodjo Fi also manages to escape paying a fee he traditionally owes Maami Ama. Chicha observes how these customs are inherently unjust to women during divorce. Maami Ama accepts the decision without resistance, not even trying to fight for her son's custody. As the traditional marriage and divorce rules are explained to her, Chicha reflects, "I sat there listening to these references to the age-old customs of my people of which I had been ignorant." The entire divorce process highlights for Chicha the contrast between the traditional culture she comes from and the Westernized perspective she's gained through her higher education.

Chicha's admiration for Kwesi, a ten-year-old student, is largely focused on his remarkable physical attractiveness. This highlights the teacher's separation from her cultural standards, where emphasizing male physical beauty is considered inappropriate. The theme of male beauty enhances Aidoo's examination of gender roles within traditional culture and the perspective of a Westernized African reflecting on her society. The story starts with a detailed discussion of this idea: "He was beautiful, but that was not important. Beauty does not play such a vital role in a man's life as it does in a woman's, especially if that man is Fanti. If a man's beauty is so ill-mannered as to be noticeable, people discreetly ignore its existence. Only an immodest girl like me would dare comment on a boy's beauty.’’

The narrator further describes the boy's beauty in detail, again acknowledging how such observations conflict with traditional gender norms: "His skin was as smooth as shea-butter and as dark as charcoal. His black hair was as soft as his mother's. His eyes were of the kind that always remind one of a long dream on a hot afternoon. It is indecent to dwell on a boy's physical appearance, but then Kwesi's beauty was indecent.’’

The core of the story revolves around the relationship between Maami Ama and her son, Kwesi. Her profound love for her handsome son is emphasized throughout the narrative, making his eventual death all the more tragic. Kwesi is Maami Ama's only child and her sole family connection, as she is alienated from her husband's relatives. When Chicha jokingly talks about kidnapping Kwesi, Maami Ama expresses her "gnawing fear" of losing him: "Please, Chicha, I always know you are just making fun of me, but please, promise me you won't take Kwesi away with you." Almost immediately, her small mouth would tremble, and she would cover her eyes with her cloth, as if embarrassed by her deep love and fears.

Maami Ama then pleads, "What will I do, Chicha, what would I do, should something happen to my child?" She would lift her pretty eyes, shimmering with unshed tears. Maami Ama further insists that if Kwesi misbehaves at school, she would "willingly submit" to the punishment of caning in his place. These early expressions of maternal love intensify the impact of her grief at the story's conclusion. After Kwesi's funeral, Chicha discovers Maami Ama in her hut, "kneeling, and like one who catches at a straw, she was clutching Kwesi's books and school uniform to her chest."