The following version of this book was used to create the guide: Shearer, Eleanor. River Sing Me Home. Penguin Random House LLC, 2023.

Eleanor Shearer's novel River Sing Me Home is written from the third person point of view. Throughout the entirety of the novel, this third person narrator inhabits the protagonist Rachel's consciousness. In doing so, the narrator is able to grant the reader access to Rachel's private thoughts and intimate feelings. Spanning 12 months and three different island nations, the novel follows a primarily linear trajectory and is written in the past tense.

In "Barbados, August 1834," Rachel fled captivity at the Providence plantation where she had been enslaved for many years. While running through the forest, however, Rachel did not feel free.

The day prior, Rachel's master had told the slaves that the king had decreed all of the slaves liberated. However, they would continue to work as his apprentices for the next six years. That night, Rachel realized that her white oppressors would never truly emancipate her. She therefore decided to run.

Rachel encountered a woman named Mama B. Mama B immediately understood that Rachel was a runaway and offered her shelter. Then, when Rachel revealed that she was in search of her five missing children, Mama B volunteered to help. After learning that Rachel's daughter, Mary Grace, might be in the nearby city of Bridgetown, the women set out in search of her.

Just as she was about to give up hope, Rachel found Mary Grace working at a local dress shop. The proprietors, Mr. and Mrs. Armstrong, invited Rachel to work and live with them, too. For a time, Rachel felt satisfied with this life. However, after Mr. Armstrong discovered that Rachel's other children were no longer in Barbados, Rachel knew it was time to continue her journey.

Shortly thereafter, Rachel and Mary Grace boarded a ship to British Guiana. On board, they met a man named Nobody. Feeling attached to him and eager to help, Rachel invited him to join her and Mary Grace on their mission.

In "British Guiana, January 1835," Rachel, Mary Grace, and Nobody found lodging and work at a local tavern. Over the course of their time in Georgetown, Rachel noticed an intimacy forming between Nobody and her daughter.

Meanwhile, Rachel continued her search for her sons. She eventually found the plantation where Micah was supposedly enslaved. A man named Orion soon informed her that Micah had been killed for leading a revolt. However, Orion had heard rumors that Thomas Augustus, her other son, had escaped. He suggested she travel upriver to find him.

Rachel, Nobody, and Mary Grace rowed up the river in search of Thomas Augustus. They eventually found the runaway village that he had made his home. Although Rachel was glad to be reunited with her son, she realized how Thomas's suffering had hardened him. Thomas tried to explain that dwelling on the past caused him too much pain.

Rachel wanted to call the village her home, too. However, because she had yet to find her other daughters, Cherry Jane and Mercy, she could not stay. After Nobody and Mary Grace married, the three companions set out for Trinidad where the other girls were rumored to live.

In "Trinidad, August 1835," Rachel, Nobody, and Mary Grace found lodgings in Port of Spain. After several days of searching for Cherry Jane, Rachel saw her through a window. They later met up by the water. Cherry Jane revealed that she had changed her story to protect herself. She agreed to visit with Rachel and Mary Grace at their inn, but would not accompany them on their journey. During the visit, she told Rachel what she knew of Mercy.

Rachel and her companions headed in the direction of Perseverance, the plantation where Mercy was supposedly still enslaved. They agreed to work as the masters' apprentices in order to find Mercy. Shortly after reuniting with her, the group plotted their escape. The feat was difficult for Mercy in particular, in that she was pregnant and still grieving the recent death of her lover.

Not long after escaping the plantation, Mercy went into labor. With her mother and sister's help, she delivered a healthy baby boy. She named him Micah. Sensing the master's and foremen's approach, the little family traveled down the river to safety.