Through conversations with his great-great aunt, a man learns the history of a formerly enslaved family matriarch. His brother’s recent arrest gains new meaning as he learns more about his ancestors.

A young boy born into slavery meets a newly purchased slave from Africa who refuses to let go of his culture, despite the master's attempts to christianize him.

A white woman talks to several Negro slaves who tell her stories about their personal lives. She learns about their partners and their and families.

A Black, southern house servant with internalized racism, joins her mistress on a visit to another region, where she observes Black people acting with something she abhors: autonomy.

Two elderly women, one a white woman and the other her former slave, spend their time sewing and reflecting on their lives together.

A young boy stays with his mother and their slaves at a farm in the Deep South, while his father and brother fight as Confederate soldiers. When Union soliders show up for a meal, the boy confronts the humanity of the enemy.

Louise, a humble "honey-colored" slave, gains a new master whose wife loves to paint. The master leaves town, and Louise must endure an uncomfortable few weeks posing naked for his wife.

A lineage of women born of the First Mother who escaped slavery survive in a swamp for several generations until some of the women begin to consider life outside the swamp.

After the deaths of his parents, an enslaved man seeks the guidance of his elderly neighbor. She reveals his family history, and he discovers his undeniable yearning for freedom.

With the help and company of her master's clerk, a young slave girl runs away; however, her search for a habitable town is long and arduous, and she slowly begins to lose hope.