This non-fiction work recounts the author's unconventional upbringing in a fundamentalist household in rural Idaho, where education and modern medicine were rejected in favor of self-reliance and extreme interpretations of Mormon beliefs.

The narrative follows her journey from a childhood marked by dangerous junkyard work, neglect, and abuse, particularly from an older brother, to her pursuit of formal education despite her family's objections.

It details her struggles with understanding the outside world, the physical and emotional toll of her early life, and her eventual intellectual awakening at Brigham Young University and Cambridge, ultimately leading to a fractured relationship with her family as she navigates her evolving identity and seeks to reconcile her past with her present.

The book also touches upon themes of memory, truth, and the impact of radical ideologies.