The following version of this book was used to create the guide: Weldon, Fay. Praxis. Hodder and Stoughton Ltd, Coronet edition, 1980.

Fay Weldon's novel Praxis is written from both the first and third person points of view, and in the past and present tenses. The novel's unconventional narrative form and structure enact the author's thematic concerns, and inherently defy patriarchal modes of storytelling and literary style. The following summary employs a linear mode of explanation, and relies upon the present tense.

When main character Praxis Duveen is growing up, she lives with her mother, Lucy, sister, Hypatia, and father Benjamin. Because her parents were never married, Praxis's family is marginalized and judged. The domestic dynamics that define life at 109 Holden Road are similarly tense, violent, and unsettling. Lucy is seen as mentally unstable, and Hypatia is cold and distant. Then, when Benjamin runs off with a waitress, the atmosphere at home worsens. Praxis takes to writing in her diary in order to feel some sense of control over her life.

After Lucy is hospitalized, Praxis goes to live with her English teacher, Miss Leonard. She wants to believe that her fraught childhood days are over, and that she is starting a new phase in her life. For a time, Praxis knows contentment. Miss Leonard is generous and kind, and treats Praxis not only like her child, but like her friend. Then one day, Miss Leonard discovers she is pregnant. Because she does not know who the father is, she becomes desperate to abort the baby. She must keep the child when she can find no doctor to perform the procedure. On the day Miss Leonard goes into labor, she is killed in a street bombing. The baby survives. Mrs. Allbright, the reverend's wife, houses the baby, who she names Mary, and Praxis. Throughout her time with the Allbrights, Praxis grows increasingly distressed about Mrs. Allbright's neglect. She decides that one day she will deliver Mary from her unfortunate circumstances.

Eventually, Praxis leaves for college at Reading University. Again, she is hopeful that the change will usher in a new and better phase in her life. However, when she becomes sexually and romantically involved with her classmate, Willy, Praxis begins to feel entrapped all over again. After he finishes his studies, Willy and Praxis move to Holden Road together. Praxis takes Mary in as her own child. She tries to care for her, and to visit her mother regularly at the hospital. However, Praxis feels perpetually unhappy. She cannot reach her mother. She feels stifled by Willy. Eventually their relationship ends. Mary continues living with Willy, disinterested in upsetting her life.

Shortly thereafter, Praxis meets, dates, and marries a man named Ivor. Almost immediately after their wedding, she becomes pregnant. She has two children during their marriage. Though she has everything a woman is supposed to want, a beautiful house, compliant children, and a charming husband, Praxis is unhappy. Desperate for something to happen, Praxis starts an affair with her college friend Irma's husband Phillip. She abandons Ivor and her children, believing she loves Phillip. The relationship eventually devolves when Praxis discovers Phillip is having an affair.

Over the years following, Praxis devotes herself to her work at an advertising agency. However, she feels hopeless and discouraged. Irma urges her to join the Women's Movement. Praxis eventually agrees, and feels temporarily empowered and purposeful. Then, when Mary announces her pregnancy, Praxis despairs. She wanted a better life for Mary. After the baby is born with a missing chromosome, Praxis decides to smother the baby to set Mary free. Mary defends Praxis in court, and restarts her career in Toronto. Praxis serves two years in prison. After her release, she begins writing the story of her life, eager to reconcile herself with her past.