The book revolves around the lives of four people, Gilbert, a royal force soldier from Jamaica; Hortense, wife of Gilbert; Queenie, a white landlady; and her husband Bernard.
The book begins with Queenie thinking about how much her life has changed since WWII. Gilbert has been experiencing racism is London and is led to Queenie by a man named Arthur, Queenie's father-in-law. Queenie provides Gilbert a place to stay. The three become fast friends but Arthur is fatally shot to death by the police.
Gilbert then brings Hortense over to London and Queenie tries to help her settle in. Hortense tries to get a teaching job at a school but she faces racism when they tell her that her education in Jamaica is not valid in London.
One day, Queenie bumps into her husband, Bernard, who had not come home from war because he feared he had syphilis after engaging in sexual relations with a prostitute. Bernard returns home after the initial shock is overcome and it is found that he simply had the flu.
However, Queenie begins to feel slightly nauseous and it is found that she is pregnant. She has had sex with a black man named Michael Roberts, who Hortense was in love with as a teenager. She does not want the child to grow up in prejudice and hated by Bernard, so she urges Hortense and Gilbert to accept the child as their own. They agree to adopt the child and move out to form their own family.
