The following version of this book was used to create this study guide: Wilkerson, Charmaine. Black Cake. Ballantine Books, 2022.

Benny and Byron meet at a lawyer's office to listen to their mother's will. The two of them spent years estranged and not speaking, and so they are uncomfortable sitting near each other and listening to the lawyer. Mr. Mitch explains that their mother left behind an hours-long audio tape for them to listen to but they must listen to it together per her instructions. She had also left a black cake in her freezer for them to share when the time is right.

Benny is shocked that her mother is truly gone, and she relives her childhood and her regret for leaving her family after an argument and cutting off contact with them. Byron is resentful that his sister caused the family breakup in his opinion while she is resentful that her parents always seemed to compare her to her brother and she was never able to measure up to his success.

The novel cycles through Eleanor's story as a young girl as well. She was born Coventina on an unnamed Caribbean island, and enjoyed swimming and studying with her friends. Her mother had run away from the family when Covey was just a young girl, leaving her with her gambling addicted father, Lin. When Lin's gambling debts spiral out of control, he must accept a gangster's offer for Covey in order to save his businesses and his life. Covey refuses to marry Little Man until she realizes there is nothing she can do. She laments the loss of her dreams and her love, Gibbs.

When Little Man is murdered at the wedding, Covey flees the island and moves to the U.K. She makes new friends over time, but must always keep her true identity a secret for her family's safety. When she tries to move to Scotland with a friend, Elly, the pair are caught in a tragic train accident. Covey assumes Elly's identity and stays in Scotland to protect herself once and for all from her former identity. Eleanor is assaulted by her boss, falling pregnant and returning to England to have her baby. She is forced to give up the baby, a source of pain and shame she carries for the rest of her life. She reunites with Gibbs before leaving the U.K. and moving to California.

After Gibbs passes away long after Benny and Byron have grown up, Eleanor begins to fixate on finding her long-lost daughter and telling her children the entire story of her life. When she passes, and Benny and Byron listen to her recording, they are utterly shocked by the extent of her secrets. They resolve to find their sister and reconnect as well, laying a new foundation for the family to move forward with. Byron becomes a father while Benny becomes an artist and the two are no longer separated by the heavy weight of years of misunderstandings and resentment. They are both able to forgive their parents for keeping secrets.