The global reach of these five women's work has been extraordinary : Eve Arnold in China, Martine Franck on Tory Island off the Irish Coast, Susan Meiselas in New Mexico, Nicaragua, and El Salvador, Inge Morath in New York, Marilyn Silverstone in India, Tibet and Pakistan. The best from each of these assignments appears in this book alongside specially chosen images from the artists' wider portfolios, presenting at least forty major works which document events of global and local importance. All the images focus on the people involved, for example, the threatened Gaelic-speaking community of Tory Island ; or illegal immigrants on the US-Mexico border under violent attack. Each portfolio is introduced by one of the other four photographers, providing an intimate view of the work by a long-term friend and colleague.