"Bright and Morning Star," Part 1 Summary

Sue, an old washerwoman, looks out into the night, seeing only the airport beacon swinging like a lighthouse beam. It is raining, and she waits for her son, Johnny-Boy, to come home. She contemplates a pile of damp clothes and then starts to iron them as she has her whole life. Without thinking, she sings a song about Jesus as a "bright and morning star" but then catches herself. She wishes her other son, Sug, could join them for dinner.

Johnny-Boy is out late rounding up white and black people for a communist meeting. Sug has already been beaten and arrested for doing this, and his arrest has caused great fear in Sue for Johnny-Boy. Sue has been trying to help them by washing clothes and earning money, but she finds the work...