Summary

Chapter 1.1 opens in the year 1856 in a rural Virginia town called Back Creek. It is located near Back Creek, a tributary of the Potomac River. Henry Colbert is the owner of a grain mill, and he is so preoccupied with his work that he often sleeps at the mill itself. His wife, Sapphira, was born into a wealthier family and is inwardly discontent with her current life. However, Sapphira and Henry are in no way poor. They own a fairly large house and several slaves. Sapphira also has chronic health issues, including dropsy. One of their slaves is Nancy, who is half-white and is in her late teens. She is the daughter of slave woman Till. Her father is either one of Henry’s brother’s or a Cuban painter the Colbert’s once hired to paint portraits. Recently, Nancy has become paranoid that...