Emanuel's subject is the relationship between undiagnosed postnatal depression and subsequent acting out in toddlers. She conducted a series of brief clinical interventions with parents and their toddlers who were referred because of the children's disruptive behavior or sleep disorders.

Emanuel begins with a review of the literature on the relationship between postnatal depression and infant development, and goes on to present Bion's theory of containment as a means for conceptually understanding what goes awry for children such as those she saw in treatment.