The novella begins with the narrative of a young, French doctor visiting an Ursuline convent during the years following the French Revolution. Napoleon is emperor and has newly enabled the functioning of religious institutions, though the scars of the Revolution still show upon the people and the landscape.

The doctor is introduced to the gravely ill nun and protagonist, Ourika, whom he does not expect to be black. He is “further surprised by her welcoming grace of manner and the elegant simplicity of her language” (4). Her body is wasting away from a depression the doctor believes is rooted in her past. He immediately takes a liking to her and resolves to do all he can to save her. Ourika explains, “‘The story of my unhappiness is the same as the story of my life’” (5). Though the doctor tells her that he believes she can recover, he recalls that “some dark presentiment warned me that it was too late. Death had marked down its victim” (5).

Ourika finally agrees to share her life story with the doctor, but she worries that he will judge her.