The book opens up with the narrator and main protagonist John Washington, an African American who has struggled all his life to earn his place as a respected history professor in Philadelphia. John is married to Judith, a white psychologist. The couple is having marital problems as John has chosen to close off his emotions as a way of dealing with the burning anger he feels but does not understand.
John gets a call that Old Jack is dying. Old Jack was a second father to John after his father, Moses, committed suicide for unknown reasons. John rushes over to see his frail step-father. Old Jack is weak-he cannot make it out of his bed to hug his son. However, he still has some strength left in him to remind John of the old days. The two talk for hours about John’s childhood. Then Jack tells John stories of his father when he was a young boy. Moses and Jack were best friends. They spent most of their childhood experiencing new adventures and dealing with the racial bigotry at the time.
A few days later, Old Jack dies. John is convinced that he must dig into the death of his father if he is ever going to understand the origin of his emotions. Being a historian, John is skilled at finding facts of his past. He realizes that just like him, his mother also coped with racism by being cold to everyone around her. He also takes after his father who used his wits to escape difficult situations rather than hostility.
John calls his wife Judith to come and join him in his search. Judith is excited about seeing her husband working through his emotions by tracing his roots. The two uncover a story of John’s great-grandfather, C.K. Washington, a free black man who freed oppressed slaves in the 1850s. John learns that on the day of C.K.’s death, he, together with other black slaves had been running from their white oppressors and when their capture became evident, they all chose to commit suicide. C.K. and the slaves were buried where they died. John’s father had also committed suicide on this very spot as a form of tribute to his ancestors.
In the end, John feels content. He understands his origin but unlike his father, he has found a new way of viewing the world and working through his emotions. Judith is happy that her husband has finally opened up which leads to a happy marriage.
