The character is a girl named Twyla. The story begins when is she young and follows her throughout her life. She is in a homeless shelter. Her mother has brought her there because she can no longer care for her. While she is there she meets a girl named Roberta. Twyla is black and Roberta is white. Throughout a majority of the stories injustices are done to people that are different from society, or a different skin color.Twyla is a developing dynamic character. The story takes the reader through Twyla's life until she is a middle aged mother. Twyla and Roberta's stories intertwine over the years.