A Year in Jamaica is a complex memoir telling the story of two simultaneous journeys: Diana Lewes's 1889 trip from England to visit her family's sugar plantations in the Caribbean, and the internal rite of passage of a Victorian girl on her journey to adulthood. Miss Lewes alternates between the acceptable pursuits of a Victorian gentlewoman – sewing, social visits, riding – and trying to find a more meaningful role for herself in this man's world. We see this intelligent and competent young woman appraising the society around her, and struggling with its contradictions.