Woman at Point Zero is the story of Firdaus, a woman condemned to death in Egypt's Qanatir prison. Firdaus recounts her experiences to the narrator, relating her childhood in poverty, her forced clitoral circumcision at the hands of her mother, and her frightening life in an arranged marriage. She goes on to recount her later life as a prostitute and her murder of her abusive pimp, a charge she refused to appeal because she did not believe any crime had been committed. Firdaus is executed at the novel's conclusion.
In her essay From the Womens Prison Third World Womens Narratives of Prison SJ1 Barbara Harlow argues that the solidarity that transcends race gender class and other social categories is a vital component in the fight against oppressive forces She also claims that Firdauss affiliation with the psychiatrist ultimately allows Firdaus to share her story and become part of the collective struggle against the authoritarian political structures and patriarchal hierarchies of Egyptian society Harlow 5