The story begins with Little Bee being released from a British immigration detention centre after two years in horrific conditions. She makes her way to the home of Sarah, whom she met several years earlier during a traumatic incident on a Nigerian beach.
In flashbacks, we learn that Sarah and her husband Andrew were vacationing in Nigeria when they encountered Little Bee and her sister Nkiruka, who were fleeing soldiers during a conflict over oil in the Niger Delta. A tragic confrontation follows, forever altering the lives of everyone involved.
As the novel progresses, the lives of Little Bee and Sarah become intertwined once more in England. Little Bee stays with Sarah and her young son Charlie, while Sarah grapples with Andrew’s recent death by suicide. The two women work through their shared trauma and grief by telling each other their stories.