A mixed-race family spends time on the beaches of a remote British Caribbean Island in January. The husband, Ralph, asks a local woman about whether or not the ocean has sharks. The woman is the wife of a doctor and the only white woman on the island. She explains that the water is too shallow for sharks, but that in the deeper areas and during turtle-killing season, there are some. Ralph becomes somewhat paranoid about it and steps out of the water, to which the doctor's wife laughs. She reassures him that no sharks are near them and reinforces this claim with a story about her friend, Vic. Vic was an older English gentleman who had a dog named Hooker. Vic used to swim out very far into the ocean and Hooker would take him back to shore. Vic stayed on the island for 40 years because he loved the island, until he passed away.

Ralph thanks the woman for the story and looks around him, seeing the homes of pink painted concrete. He also looks at the palm trees and the coconuts growing there. He compares this island with that of St. Martin. St. Martin's beaches were dangerous, but colonized by the Dutch and French so there were many restaurants and hotels. This beach is much more serene and quiet. Ralph looks at the geography of this island--the village, the cliffs, and the sea.

The doctor's wife continues with her story, which she tells to both Ralph and his wife, Eve. Reverend Vic Johnson loved the people on the island as well. Vic had retired last year and moved back to London.

Eve hears many voices around them and the woman explains that those are her children and that Vic loved her children because he had none of his own. Eve explains that their cook, a native woman named Hannah, has talked about Vic. Hannah came with the house that Ralph and Eve bought. She was the cook of the previous house owner as well.

The doctor's wife mentions that Hannah is a lovely person and the couple agrees. They also talk about how everyone on the island has been kind to them.

The doctor's wife explains that she is the only fully white woman resident of the island. Many of the natives respect her. Her husband, the doctor, is currently at St. Martin for the day. The doctor's wife asks Ralph about whether or not colored people are respected and well-off in America. Ralph explains that they are in the North, but are segregated and discriminated against in the South. He doesn't mind sending his children to school with colored people either.

Ralph and Eve's children--Larry and Kate--run up to them. Others on the beach watch them as well. Eve walks away to see what the children are showing her and the doctor's wife makes a remark about how Eve seems to tan beautifully. Ralph agrees.

The doctor's wife asks Ralph if he wants to hear a frightening story. She tells him about how when Vic Johnson left, there was a party thrown to greet the new parson. It was a Jamaican man who mentioned Vic and that they wouldn't miss Vic because he was not one of them. Ralph finds the people's reactions to Vic strange, but the woman explains that the natives don't tend to like white people and can sometimes be deplorable. They think white people are stealing their money and aren't natural. The doctor's wife goes on to explain that the locals don't actually like Ralph's wife either, even though she is only half-African. She further explains that the native people believe all Americans to be rich. This makes Ralph mad and he walks into the ocean to clear his mind. However, he can only think about how different the doctor's wife is from his wife and him. He feels guilty about not being able to create a good reply to the doctor's wife's explanation.