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The book is divided into two sections, whose titles, taken from the lyrics of a spiritual, mirror the tension that builds throughout the plot and finds release in the final pages. The first part, “troubled about my soul,” is by far the longer of the two sections, beginning with Fonny in jail and Tish announcing her pregnancy with his child. The title of this section refers to the turmoil of the characters’ lives, both in the present timeline, as they struggle with Fonny’s imprisonment, and in the past, as they all struggle to find ways to live freely in an oppressive society. The narration moves between the present day and the past, a mix of Tish’s first-person voice and third-person omniscient narration. The second, much shorter, section of the novel is titled “Zion.” The use of a synonym for heaven implies that the resolution to the story that occurs in this final tenth of the novel represents an arrival in the freedom of the promised land.
Tish is the protagonist, and her pregnancy provides the tension that drives the novel. Her announcement that she is three months pregnant is the inciting incident that puts the plot in motion. Although the characters have been trying to get Fonny out of jail before that announcement, the pregnancy gives their efforts a deadline, as they all agree that it is crucial that Fonny be free when his child is born. The struggle to get Fonny out of jail before the birth becomes the central conflict of the novel, so Tish’s pregnancy provides a strict timeline of six months. As the months pass, the tension grows. Throughout Part One, Fonny’s defense case faces more and more obstacles, making his leaving jail seem less and less likely. At the same time, Tish, her family, and Frank increase their efforts to free him and to protect Tish and the baby, giving Fonny a reason not to surrender to despair.
Tish knows about the pregnancy before the book opens, and she has already decided to view the baby as joyful news, convincing Fonny to do so as well. The announcement affects the other characters differently, deepening the divides that already exist among them and establishing Mrs. Hunt and her daughters as an oppositional force. Tish’s family and Frank regard the baby as a miracle and band together to support the couple, establishing the novel’s theme of the strength gained from family. Throughout the narrative, these characters marvel at the miracle of the new life, finding the baby both worthy of protection and a source of inner strength. For Mrs. Hunt and her daughters, however, the pregnancy happening outside of wedlock is proof that Tish has corrupted Fonny into sin. Mrs. Hunt’s self-righteousness and her anger at Tish turn her against their cause and, therefore, against Fonny’s freedom. As a result, Mrs. Hunt and her daughters join Officer Bell and the faceless members of the criminal justice system as the book’s antagonists.
In Part One of the book, the narration weaves together Tish’s advancing pregnancy, the efforts to develop Fonny’s defense, and scenes of Tish and Fonny’s history together, beginning when they became friends as children and continuing through their falling in love and planning a life together. Because the novel begins in media res—in other words, it opens in the middle of the story rather than at the beginning—the flashbacks serve to show how the characters end up as they are in the first scene when Fonny is already in jail. Daniel’s story provides foreshadowing for Fonny’s incarceration and a sense of foreboding about what he may face if convicted and sentenced to prison time. The tension rises as the characters approach Fonny’s arrest in the timelines set in the past; at the same time, the obstacles to Fonny’s defense raise the stakes in the main timeline. A pivotal moment in the story occurs on the night that Fonny encounters Officer Bell at the vegetable stand. At this point, the protagonists and the antagonists are set against each other, guaranteeing a second confrontation with Bell and the forces of systemic racism he represents.
By the end of Part One, Hayward’s efforts to strengthen Fonny’s defense by securing Daniel as a witness and convincing Victoria to recant her testimony have fallen apart. At this apparently hopeless moment, Part TWO opens, with its title, “Zion,” promising salvation. As Tish gets closer to giving birth, the characters face the resolutions of their storylines. When Victoria disappears into the mountains and the state delays the trial indefinitely, Tish’s family finds new energy to ensure the baby is born with free parents, focusing their efforts on securing bail for Fonny. Frank, Fonny’s father, cannot withstand any more setbacks and commits suicide, falling victim to the forces that stand between Black people and freedom. Fonny, however, reacts to the news by acknowledging the reality that his incarceration may last longer than they’d hoped. He assures Tish he will return to freedom, but he also faces life at the jail more fully, learning to live there instead of only wishing to escape. The novel ends with Tish going into labor. In the final lines, Fonny is far away but is sculpting, an act that proves he has found a way to return to the center of his soul, and he hears the baby cry, implying that they will find a way to be together.
