A Creole boy from the French Quarter in New Orleans begins working for Dr. Labotte, a White doctor who frequents the French Quarter and is practically a celebrity among his Creole patients. As Emory begins his work at the LaBottes' home, their son Jemmie returns from medical school. His father encourages him to go back to school and specialize. Still, Jemmie insists he wants to practice in the Quarter just like his father.

Dr. Labotte vehemently refuses to let his son accompany him on his trips to the Quarter. He finally caves, allowing Jemmie to attend to David, an old man in the Quarter who currently experiences pressure in his chest and difficulty sleeping. Emory accompanies Jemmie to direct him to Old David's house, where Jemmie gives David a shot to treat his condition. David strongly objects to the shot, complaining throughout the process. Afterward, David asks slyly Jemmie to provide him with codeine—something David claims Jemmie's father always gave David to help him sleep. Alarmed, Jemmie says codeine is terrible for David's heart and his father would never give Jemmie anything like that. Jemmie also notices David burning a candle in his room, which Emory explains later as a traditional method to keep sickness at bay.

Jemmie's next patient is an eight-year-old girl whose mother also requests Jemmie for codeine as treatment. Jemmie adamantly refuses to fulfill their request for codeine, causing the mother distress. She sprays Jemmie with pepper on his way out of the house, claiming he must be evil and that she does not want any trace of his scent remaining in her home. Soon, the whole Quarter admonishes Jemmie for being a no-good doctor who refuses to give in to their requests for codeine and criticizes their home remedies or lucky tokens that ward off sickness.

In front of his father, Jemmie tells his mother how his father has been giving the Quarter codeine for all their illnesses. When Jemmie voices his disappointment in his father, Dr. Labotte interjects with how everyone in the Quarter will not give up their beliefs in traditional treatment methods and disdain for Western medicine. He goes on to say that the patients refuse to accept Western medicine at all costs and that at a certain point, doctors who practice in the Quarter feel they would do anything just for the patients to like them—hence why he gave them all codeine. Jemmie ignores his father and repeatedly returns to the Quarter, attempting to gain the fondness of his patients through the honest and ethical practice of medicine. Yet, despite his many attempts, the patients refuse to allow him to treat them.

Their constant rejection of Jemmie renders him desperate for their acceptance. Eventually, one household begins calling him constantly, only to request codeine each time and continuously refuse his attempts at giving them medicine. Each time, Jemmie leaves their home more defeated than before. One day, Dr. Labotte suffers from a heart attack, which breaks Jemmie. Although Dr. Labotte receives treatment from medical specialists, he grows increasingly weaker. Jemmie constantly tries to see his father, but the doctors turn him away.

Dr. Labotte's degrading health takes a toll on Jemmie's spirit, and he stops trying to get his patients to receive medicine. He also begins fulfilling everyone's requests for codeine. On the day that Dr. Labotte passed away, Jemmie refused to witness his father's last moments, instead choosing to spend the day on his knees, locked in a tight embrace with one of his patients. Two years after the funeral, Emory comments that Jemmie rarely returns home. Instead, he spends most of his time in the Quarter. Emory also notes how no one in the Quarter criticizes Jemmie anymore. They all welcome him, and he relishes their affection.