The seventy-two individual short stories in the book are based on the tales of seventy-two real women. These tales are a reflection of the diverse lives and dilemmas that many women all over the world today face, and the inner strength that women can have to overcome adversity. The book begins with a story of a woman who leaves everything she has behind and takes the leap of faith in moving to England in the early 1960s. It then follows different women, covering issues such as homelessness, cancer, adoption, death, motherhood and transgender. It highlights the reality that age, race, religion and class are not the only difficulties that women all over the world encounter.