As a member of the strict religious sect of Satmar Hasidic Jews in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, Deborah Feldman grew up obeying a code of imposed customs that dictated everything in her life, from what she could wear and who she could speak to, to what she was allowed to eat and read. And yet, despite her oppressive upbringing, Deborah evolved into an open-minded young woman, an independent spirit, secretly reading literature and finding inspiration in the strong female characters of Jane Austen and Louisa May Alcott, who helped her imagine a different way of life, away from her closed community.

Trapped at seventeen in a sexually and emotionally dysfunctional arranged marriage, with a young man she barely knew, Deborah will experience the conflict between her desires and her responsibilities to her community. A conflict that will peak when she gives birth to her son at nineteen, and she realizes that despite the insurmountable obstacles, she must carve out a different path - for herself and for her child - towards freedom and happiness.