A sailor leaps from a ship, the H.M.S. Stor Konigsgaarten. Although he is a strong swimmer, because of a strong undertow he is unable to swim to the deserted pier he had noticed a mile beyond the lights of Queen of France. The current carries him to a small boat, Seabird II, which he boards easily since a rope ladder hangs over the side. Although he hears voices, laughter, and music, and smells cooking odors—especially that of curry—he sees no one. He hides in a closet not far from the open door through which come the sounds. Although he intends to stay alert, he falls asleep. When he awakens, he hears two women talking on deck. After a crashing sound, a woman’s hand appears near the slightly opened door of his hiding place, picking up a bottle of suntan oil. The light from the hall enables him to see about his closet. When he finds the miniature orange trees in a crate, he eats the bitter fruit ravenously. He deduces that the boat is headed away from Queen of France and toward an island.

When the boat docks, he sees the two women walk toward a car and hears an engine start. He quickly goes to find something to eat in the galley, but everything has been cleaned up. He must be satisfied with flat Norwegian bread and mustard.

When he goes on deck to look at the island, he is not aware of the legend that, 300 years before, the slaves who viewed the island for the first time were struck blind.

The foreword given in some editions to the novel expresses a major theme pursued by Morrison: discord among people with different backgrounds and experiences. Ironically, the quoted passage from I Corinthians 1:11 uses Morrison’s birth name, referring to contentions existing “in the house of Chloe.” In this case, the reference includes the varied attitudes within the black population as well as the differences between white and black attitudes—the ongoing statement by Morrison within her novel.

Introduced also in the initial pages is the metaphoric language that is more poetic than prose. When the unidentified sailor is swimming in the sea, he is surrounded by a “bracelet” of water, the “wet throat” of the whirlpool sucking him under, the “velvet” air of the warm night. Often images are intermingled, as when the town, Queen of France, shows “lights scattered like teardrops from a sky pierced to weeping by the bladetip of an early star.” The beauty of description often has a tragic overtone, hinting of disaster ahead. Vivid personification adds life to the language. Laughter sprawls “like a quilt” and the sailor “exchanged stares with the moon.”

The use of sensory references is heavy in this introductory reading. The senses of smell, seeing, hearing, touching, and tasting are repeatedly used to describe the sailor’s awareness of what is happening around him. His ability to make use of such clues indicates his intelligence and even his cunning nature. For instance, when he thinks about meeting someone when first sneaking aboard the Seabird II, he does not plan what he will say. “It was better not to plan, not to have a ready-made story because, however tight, prepared stories sounded most like a lie. The sex, weight, the demeanor of whomever he encountered would inform and determine his role.” The sailor is already showing signs of the trickster.

The final words of the introduction make the reader curious about the island that “struck slaves blind the moment they saw it.”

The private island on which the black sailor has landed is the Isle des Chevaliers. Valerian Street, a retired, wealthy American, who changed much of the island from a beautiful, dense, tropical rain forest into a stagnating swamp, is the owner. He loves his estate, especially the greenhouse. He listens to classical music while tending his plants. His wife is very unhappy on the island and returns regularly to her “real home” in Philadelphia. She plans to leave the island with her son Michael, who is coming for the Christmas holiday. As often as she can, she has borrowed a neighbor’s 56-foot craft, Seabird II, along with their Filipino houseboy, to visit Queen of France for shopping excursions.

Valerian had met Margaret at a Snow Carnival in Maine when she was a 17-year-old beauty queen. He had been divorced for a long period when he saw the young beauty and married her. Now she is planning to prepare a festive Christmas dinner for several guests—her son Michael; Michael’s friend; and Dr. Michelin, Valerian’s dentist, who lives in Queen of France, the larger town across the water from the Isle des Chevaliers. Her plans for the Christmas dinner are quite different, however, from her husband’s plans.

Also visiting is Jadine, the Childs’ niece. Jade is a successful model in Paris for a well-known designer, Caron, but is considering a change in her career. She thinks she wants to open a shop and pursue a business career. During her stay on the island, she is serving as a household management assistant and social secretary to Margaret.

The conversation between members of the household reveals trivial disagreements and petty annoyances. Valerian is constantly complaining about some physical discomfort—corns, indigestion, concern with dying. He and Sydney constantly argue, since, after 40 years together, the master and servant speak freely to one another. They disagree about the classical music in the greenhouse. They debate the description of their foot problems—corns or bunions—as well as the cause being the type of shoes chosen. The flakiness of croissants and their digestive disorders also are open to disagreement.

Valerian also argues with his wife of three decades—over her “frownies,” used to prevent frown wrinkles; her plan for guests over Christmas; whether Michael will visit them for the holiday; living on the island rather than in Philadelphia; and if goose or turkey should be served for the main Christmas meal.

Michael, now nearly 30 years old, has had numerous unsuccessful careers. Currently studying environmental law, he has worked on Indian reservations and as a band manager, shepherd, lifeguard, film producer, and poet-in-residence. His varied employment experiences disappoint Valerian, who is called “the Candy King” by Margaret.

Sydney and Ondine’s conversation in the kitchen reveals their attitude toward the Streets, their concern for Jadine, and their awareness of all that goes on in the household. Ondine has noticed that chocolate and Evian water have been taken from the pantry over the last few days. They discuss a possible thief, but cannot accept that a neighboring servant or Yardman, Valerian’s handyman, has committed the theft.

When Valerian moves to the Caribbean island, he does not see the natives as individuals, calling every female worker Mary. He does not care enough to find out his handyman’s real name, addressing the employee by the work he does, Yardman. He is disinterested in both neighbors and company, except for the dentist, Dr. Michelin, who is his occasional drinking companion.

Valerian seeks control of his home, his greenhouse, his wife, his employees, and his island. He seems to be unaware that he has changed the island for the worse. He has created what he wants. He neglects to think of the damage he has done to the environment as he clears forests for housing, changes the once free-flowing river into a stagnant swamp, or removes protection and food for the wildlife. Valerian is completely content with his creation. He is a paradoxical character—one the reader both admires and dislikes.

The quarreling between various members of the household, beginning with small matters, will grow to a crescendo by the end of the novel, setting the stage for what is to come. Valerian has not left the island since his retirement three years earlier, except to go to Queen of France for a visit to the dentist. Actually, he is not pleased to have people come to visit him on the island....