Paul is the eight year old son of an American singer/actor living in France. Paul's father is black, his mother is a white woman from Sweden. Paul has never known the prejudice his father has grown up with in the American South, does not even understand that prejudice exists. Paul's world has been Paris, his parents, and the security of his father's fame and wealth. However, as the story opens, Paul is preparing to move to America with his father and mother in order for his father to pursue his career further.