Ester was born in Lamba Karsi, in the Welkeit province, and has three siblings. Her name, Esterei, means Day of Atonement in Tigrinya. Her family was well-known and wealthy. Her father died when she was three years old.

Ester relates that her family owned lands, and that they had a good relationship with their Muslim and Christian neighbors. This was different from other provinces, where Jews were harassed and were forbidden to own land.

She recalls the games she played in her childhood, and the free time that she spent doing embroidery, playing outdoor games, and playing imaginary games such as grinding sand, imitating their mothers grinding flour.

As part of her daily routine, Ester helped her mother with the housework: grinding fish, preparing food such as injera and kitshe, and looking after her younger siblings. At the age of eight, she was given other tasks: bringing water from the river and wood for firewood. After she married, she received more jobs: milking cows, helping in the fields (mainly during harvest season), embroidery work and various creative tasks.

Ester describes the process of making butter – from the milking until the final product. As well as butter, she would make cheeses, oil, smoked milk and more. She describes the process of making honey in great detail: from preparing the beehive from clay, collecting the bees and caring for them, and eventually making the honey itself. She also describes the process of making cotton: from the picking of the plant to the making of the cloth. She even shares secrets of Ethiopian cooking by bringing examples of recipes.

Ester married at the age of 17. When her husband came to ask for her hand in marriage, her mother initially refused, as she did not want to lose out on her help at home. However, her relatives persuaded her and she eventually agreed to the match. She describes the bride’s preparations for the wedding, the henna ceremony and the generous dowry her mother gave her. After her marriage, Ester moved to her husband’s village in the Tigray province, a three-day walk from her village. She talks about the difficulties of the move and the homesickness she experienced.

Ester talks about going to the menstruation house after giving birth and when menstruating. She explains the customs of purification during menstruation. She also describes the traditional treatment given to sick people, which was administered by making various remedies, bloodletting and more.

Ester ends with two Ethiopian fables.