'I felt a terrible resentment towards my mother. I caught fire to bring her closer to me, to tell her I didn't judge her when she set the house ablaze. I could have continued being a pretty young girl, funny and intelligent, good at everything, but today I am burned...'

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The daughter of a mixed marriage, Mylène gradually discovers what makes her different. The only one of her siblings to be born in France, she loves hearing stories of Africa, a continent she will only discover as an adolescent.

A household accident connected with her mother cuts short her dreams. Haunted by scars that are visible only to her, Mylène is stymied at the moment of her sexual awakening. To overcome the trauma, she is able to rely on her father, who will help transform her fears into strength. But only when she explores the things that she holds most secret does she begin to overcome her shyness, and assert her desires.

From childhood through to life as an adult, Chantal Milman paints the portrait of a woman wresting back her dignity from the flames.