Rebecca, a black South African girl, loves playing with her new doll alongside her friend Noni, another black girl whose family has lived next to Rebecca's for their entire lives. But, apartheid rules, and the white government plans to seize the family's land, relocate the black township, and build a white suburb in its place. Rebecca and Noni take different paths when Noni's family moves, and Rebecca's father resists and is arrested. Throughout the now-historical novel, Gordon, a white native of South Africa, portrays Rebecca's parents' jobs as laborers and her brother's growing anger with dignity and respect. Rebecca's perspective provides a safe harbor for facing into the complex, heart-rending issues faced by those living under apartheid.

All over Rebecca's village everyone is talking about the bulldozers. She and her friends wonder if the government will really send bulldozers to destroy their homes to make way for a new whites-only town. The government says they must move and promises a modern new village -- but Rebecca's parents and her granny say this is their home and they will never leave.One day Rebecca sets out for school only to learn that her best friend's family has moved away in the middle of the night. The villagers who are left must take a brave stand, and Rebecca's family may be torn apart. Soon Rebecca and her family and friends find help from a surprising source -- and learn that the eyes of the entire world are on their tiny village.