Ruby Summary

The story opens with the words, "They shot the white girl first" and the statement that "With the rest they can take their time." The men who arrive at the Convent to confront the women who live there are from the all-black town of Ruby, Oklahoma. The men of Ruby had come from another town, that one called Haven. They had left that town eventually, after the price of cotton bottomed out. The men, several related in various ways, split up with some going upstairs and some to the basement. The men plan to "do what you have to" to eliminate the threats from the Convent. The people of Ruby have been afflicted with a series of "catastrophes" and blame it on the women of the Convent.

The men are among the families that settled Ruby, a town that has three churches within...