Employs poetic verse to describe the life of twelve-year-old Rima who lives with her mother and grandmother, but has no rights according to the 1920s-era Cuban government because she was born out of wedlock. Shunned by her father and half-sister who live in wealth, Rima longs to be as free as the horses she rides. Rima decides to fight back against this unfair system, joining with a social activist group known as the mambisas, who fought for Cuba's independence from Spain and who now fight for women's suffrage.

Translation of: Rima's rebellion : courage in a time of tyranny.