The book is primarily structured along two parallel storylines. One follows Chrismus, who was sent to an orphanage as a child and, due to suspicion of being of mixed race, lost his "identity," suffering various forms of social abuse that ultimately led him to kill his last white lover, after which he was executed by white people. The other story follows Lena, a rural girl who falls in love with her lover, becomes pregnant, is abandoned, and walks to Jefferson to find him. Through ten days of social life in Jefferson, the novel reveals the lives and family histories of several main characters, showcasing "the timeless and genuine emotions, love, compassion, pride, pity, and spirit of sacrifice deep within the human heart," and demonstrating the author's opposition to racial and religious prejudice. This novel is renowned for its multiple narrative perspectives and plot structure.
本书主要分两条线索，一条讲的是克里斯默斯，他从小被送进孤儿院，因为被怀疑是“黑白混血儿”而从此失去了“身份”，受到社会种种虐待，最终促使他杀死了最后相遇的白种情人，自己也被白人处死；另一条讲的是农村姑娘莉娜与情人相恋，怀孕后遭到遗弃，徒步来到杰弗生镇寻找情人。小说通过描述杰弗生镇十天的社会生活，揭示了几个主要人物的一生以及他们的家史，体现了人类“心灵深处的亘古至今的真实情感、爱情、同情、自豪、怜悯之心和牺牲精神”，表明了作家反对种族偏见和宗教偏见的态度。这部小说以多重叙事角度和情节结构闻名。
本书主要分两条线索，一条讲的是克里斯默斯，他从小被送进孤儿院，因为被怀疑是“黑白混血儿”而从此失去了“身份”，受到社会种种虐待，最终促使他杀死了最后相遇的白种情人，自己也被白人处死；另一条讲的是农村姑娘莉娜与情人相恋，怀孕后遭到遗弃，徒步来到杰弗生镇寻找情人。小说通过描述杰弗生镇十天的社会生活，揭示了几个主要人物的一生以及他们的家史，体现了人类“心灵深处的亘古至今的真实情感、爱情、同情、自豪、怜悯之心和牺牲精神”，表明了作家反对种族偏见和宗教偏见的态度。这部小说以多重叙事角度和情节结构闻名。
