Summary

Chapter 1 takes place in 1829 in the French Colony of Bourbon Island, now known as La Réunion, in the Indian Ocean. A black baby is given by a French woman named Elvire to her widower brother Ferréol as a gift to cheer him up. Ferréol had been in a deep depression since the death of his wife. Ferréol instructs one of his slaves, named Colombine, to be a wet nurse for the baby, whom he named Edmond. Ferréol is surprised by the warmth he feels towards the baby. The servants in the house are amazed to see him talking to the baby. Edmond had been born to a mother named Mélise and a father named Pamphile, who were both enslaved in Bourbon. Mélise died shortly after giving birth to Edmond. Ferréol raises Edmond in his house...