The story is a two-part plot with the larger goal of criticizing and ridiculing slavery. The beginning of the story involves Dick Owens, who is the son of a plantation owner. Dick tries to convince a young woman, Charity Lomax, to marry him. The second, more central part of the plot involves Dick trying to achieve this by taking a Grandison north and offering him the chance to escape. Unaware of his son's intentions, plantation owner Colonel Owens chose Grandison to ride north with Dick. Grandison superficially assures the Colonel that being a slave is a wonderful thing, confirming the Colonel's affectionate views on slavery. In a very ironic way, the story manages to hide until the last paragraphs its conclusion that the slave will indeed deceive the master. In this story and throughout the context, the societal belief among white people is that the black person lacks the intellectual abilities of understanding and understanding.