Marie-Ursule
The protagonist of this novel is Marie-Ursule, a slave from the 19th Century. She is a strong and passionate character, who convinces a group of slaves to commit mass suicide to protest the way they have been treated.
Bola
Bola is Marie-Ursule's daughter. Marie-Ursule loves her daughter more than anything and is concerned with her safety and well-being. As such, she cannot bring herself to include her daughter in the mass suicide she leads.
Bola survives her mother and goes onto have children herself, starting a long line of descendants.
Marie-Ursule's descendents
The novel begins by introducing Marie-Ursule, telling us her story. We then learn about her many descendants, and how the ramifications of slavery continue to haunt them many years later.
