It follows three characters, Skeeter Phelan; a young white aspiring writer who comes back home from college and starts to develop an awareness of racial inequality and the unfair treatment of Black domestic workers, specifically black women who work as maids in white homes. The second character is Aibileen Clark; a black woman who has spent her life raising white children. The third character is Aibileen's best friend, Minny Jackson; a highly skilled cook with a sharp tongue. 

If you're looking for an entertaining read that's also shrouded in controversy, this is the one for you.