The Colour Purple is a classic. Set in the deep American South between the wars, it is the tale of Celie, a young black girl born into poverty and segregationn. Raped reapeatedly by the man she calls 'father', she has two children taken away from her, is seperated from her beloved sister Nettie and is trapped into an ugly marriage. But then she meets the glamorous Shug Avery, singer and magic maker a woman who has taken charge of her own destiny . Gradually, Celie discovers the power and the joy of her own spirit, freeing her from her past and reuniting her with those she loves.