"That Evening Sun" opens as a reminiscence: the narrator, whose identity is unknown at first, reports that in Jefferson, "the streets are paved now, and the telephone and electric companies are cutting down more and more of the shade trees." The time is approximately the turn of the century. The narrator first introduces Nancy, a washerwoman who takes in laundry from white people around Jefferson. The narrator then mentions Jesus, suggests—but does not say—that he is Nancy's husband, and notes that "father told him to stay away from our house."

The story then shifts its focus to Nancy. The narrator tells of how he and his siblings would throw stones at Nancy's house to get her to make breakfast for them and tells the story of how Mr. Stovall refused to pay Nancy and beat her in the street. While in jail...