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The book explores the age-old paradox of utopian feminism—the treatment of the “other” woman or the existence of “sororophobia.” The book structures its examination in two directions. First, the “breaks” in metaphorical and literal sisterhood—the manifestations of “sororophobia” and “matrophobia”—are identified and analyzed. Second, persons excluded from the typical familial structure, the “other women”—the mistress, lesbian, foreigner, or woman of color—are revealed and studied. The book's four chapters present the differences between women and analyze how these have been represented, managed, and utilized at particular moments in history. The first two chapters delve into feminist culture in the Victorian era while the next two sections tackle its more contemporary manifestations. The book ends with a recounting of various ways in which feminist theorists tried to explain and contain the persistent problem of “otherness” between women.

The chapter begins with a recounting of Willing and Rae's dramatization of Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre, which contains a subplot with sororophobic themes that is common in the literature of the era. In the Victorian world, the concept of sisterhood is founded on the differences between women—most notably sexual—and their attempts to bridge this chasm of difference. Sisterhood is seen as a safe, neutral haven which enables the unification of seemingly irreconcilable interests. The chapter briefly discusses the limited sociological material on sisters and their relationships. Then, with readings from Collins, Rossetti, and Hardy, the chapter further examines sisterhood as a structure for the containment and representation of sexual differences among women. In the last section, the chapter presents a different though similarly complex manifestation of sororophobia in George Elliott's anti-melodramatic Middlemarch in contrast with the typical Victorian marriage plots.

The chapter discusses sororophobia and sisterhood in relation to lesbian communities. The chapter opens with a discussion on Rita Mae Brown's Rubyfruit Jungle, which is credited as the first lesbian-themed novel to make it on the bestseller list. The novel highlights the chapter's assertion that lesbianism or homosexuality is rooted in a constantly evolving interrelationship between sameness and difference, the definitions of which change over time—for both lesbian-feminists and their homophobic counterparts. Differences in beliefs and practices within these feminist and lesbian communities regarding such issues as sado-masochism, butch-femme role playing, and race are discussed, along with their potentially divisive danger to the community. In the remainder of the chapter, the manifestations of these themes of sameness and difference are identified and examined in lesbian-feminist poetry. The chapter highlights the lesbian poet's struggle to represent this “otherness” while celebrating identity—which also mirrors the dilemma of lesbian practice.