Cynthia, a black woman, is living with her great aunt, Auntie Lynn, on her family's property in South Carolina. She is in the process of getting divorced, as well as having lost her job. She is a failed author and feels mentally unstable.

Cynthia's family obtained the property after a Confederate soldier left it to them in his will. When Cynthia awakes in the morning, she is met with a woman with long braids wearing a long white dress. Over breakfast one morning, Auntie Lynn mentions Lizzie, a ghost of a Native American ancestor of theirs who has been said to haunt the property. Cynthia's cousin Bowser, who lives in a trailer on the property and who Cynthia regards as a mooch and a failure, denies the existence of Lizzie, though Cynthia maintains that she has seen her with her own two eyes.

The knowledge of this ancestor leads Cynthia to delve into historical records to try to learn more about her. She begins visiting the local library, where she reviews old Census data to try and locate Lizzie. Her investigations are inconclusive, but she talks with the librarian who knows a lot about the history of the town. While at the library, she also sees the portrait of the man who dedicated land for it (and who also gave land to their family), who looks exactly like Lizzie. She considers taking a DNA test to confirm whether she has Native American blood.

The next day over breakfast, she tries to tell Auntie Lynn about the seemingly familial connection she has found between Lizzie and the white man who gave them their land. Auntie Lynn dismisses it, and says that saying such things would upset the townspeople. Auntie Lynn's and Bowser's denial of Lizzie's relation to the Millers and Lizzie's existence, respectively, leads Cynthia to think about the value of truth. She thinks about how lies can be a way of survival, but how lies can also destroy one as well. When Auntie Lynn asks about how Lizzie is doing, Lizzie admits to feeling mentally unwell. She realizes that she does not need the scientific evidence of her ancestry, that she knows who she is without it.