Continues the adventures of Sarny, the slave girl Nightjohn taught to read. In the last days of the Civil War, she left the plantation to search for her sold-away children. Her journey takes her to New Orleans and on the way she meets the mysterious Miss Laura who, like Nightjohn, changes her life. Sarny passes Nightjohn's teaching to new generations, until, in the 1930s, at age 94, she relates the long life she lived in America.