Narrated by the alcoholic Connie, The Devil's Chimney interweaves the passionate and heartbreaking stories of two women, each trying to take control of their lives. Living near the haunted Cango Caves, Connie has become obsessed by the story of an aristocratic English woman, Beatrice Chapman, who came to the village with her husband Mr Henry in 1910. By telling Miss Beatrice's story, Connie comes to understand not only their shared sense of emotional desolation in losing a child, but also the complex and conflicting nature of South Africa, past and present.