Content Warning: The source material features depictions of physical, emotional, and sexual abuse and miscarriage.

The prologue begins with a group of unnamed narrators explaining their difficulties as enslaved captives working on the Caribbean islands. The narrators express hope that even though they have suffered much loss at the hands of slavery, there are things that cannot be forgotten.

Rachel, having just escaped Providence Plantation, struggles to adjust. While in the forests outside of the plantation, she wonders if she can return to her hut—“one wooden square among many” (5)—and her 40-year-old sleeping mat. Yet, as Rachel panics while imagining gun shots and phantom overseers trailing her, she wonders if the exhilaration she feels is freedom. This question lingers as she ponders the emptiness of the forest as she runs.

In a flashback, the circumstances surrounding why Rachel is running after decades of enslavement unfold. The enslaved people and enslavers alike gather outside of Providence Plantation’s great house to hear important news: The Emancipation Act of 1834 has come into effect. Crying and shouting echoes through the crowd. The enslaver, riding a horse and attempting to wrestle control of the situation, rides through the crowd of enslaved people. His horse kicks one woman in the head, killing her; however, the impact of this death does not matter since she “died free” (6).