Mrs. Findley lives in Many, Louisiana with her two children during the early twentieth century. She recently moved there from the North with her husband, Cart, an army general that was away for five nights. Mrs. Findley works as a housewife, caring for her children and their small dun horse.   One August morning, a large bay horse runs down from the neighboring highway to Mrs. Findley's lawn, finding comfort in Mrs. Findley's dun horse as they gallop around the corralled fence together. Unsure of where the horse came from and worried the bay will influence the dun to escape, she fastens them both inside the gate. She inquires about the horse with the mail carrier, Mr. Enders, who tells her the horse is likely a "n----- horse." Puzzled by the statement, Mrs. Findley reflects on Northern versus Southern values. She remembers Cart advising her not to look for trouble with her anti-racist beliefs because it is like "waving a bloody shirt at a bull" when disclosed to people in the Deep South. As a result, Mrs. Findley refrains from speaking out against the racism she sees, harboring her thoughts privately.   A dirty-looking, elderly Southern man soon approaches Mrs. Findley's lawn, making her uncomfortable as he eyeballs her body. He ultimately tells her she can report the lost horse to the town marshal, Rod Jones. However, he advises, Jones won't be able to help if it is a "n----- horse," leaving Mrs. Findley even more confused by this repeated statement. She muses on the double standards of black and white people, observing that the label "whiteman's horse" doesn't exist and that derogatory terms towards black people "[forbid] a natural human dignity." Mrs. Findley struggles to understand the purpose of racism and why people are racist.   When Mrs. Findley calls the marshal, he tells her he will pick up the horse if no one claims it. She then reflects on having a "Yankee mind" in the deep South, as she witnesses the cruelty of segregation and ubiquitous racism. Mrs. Findley concludes that no matter how friendly white Southerners are to her, they are still inhumanely racist, or at least complicit in a racist system.   Mrs. Findley then sees four young black men walking by her front lawn with a horse bridle in one of their hands. They confirm that they are looking for a horse, and Mrs. Findley nervously interacts with them, stuttering as she goes to fetch the bay horse. As they leave with the horse, Mrs. Findley laments how unfairly stoic they were with her because she is white, then catches herself being hypocritical. She runs after the men, assuring them she won't tell the town marshal it was their horse. Three of the men laugh, and the owner of the horse gives his thanks. Mrs. Findley feels that "their eyes met upon a human plane."