Summary

In 2019, Theo—a young Black PhD candidate in art history—works on a magazine article at his apartment in Washington, D.C. He helps an elderly white neighbor dispose of a collection of junk. His neighbor seems to disapprove of “having a Black man living nearby” (2). In the pile of junk, Theo finds an old portrait of a horse.

Jess manages the osteology lab at the Smithsonian Museum. She recalls her childhood in Australia, during which she often collected and displayed animal bones. Jess enjoys her position at the Smithsonian, where “every day brought something new in a flow of specimens” (9). A colleague tells her that a British researcher wants to inspect a horse skeleton owned by the Smithsonian. The colleague requests Jess’s assistance in locating the skeleton.

In 1850, Jarret is an enslaved 13-year-old at the Meadows, a farm in Kentucky. His...