A novel set in Harlem in the 1920s, opening with a shocking act of violence involving a middle-aged married man, Joe Trace, and a young woman. The narrative moves back through the lives of Joe, his wife Violet and others, tracing their journeys from the rural South to the city. Its voice and structure echo jazz music, improvising and circling around its themes. Morrison explores desire, memory, migration and the hopes and wounds that people carry into a new life.