Tar Baby Summary

In the late hours of the night, just before Christmas, an anonymous seafarer leaps into the sea and swims towards the harbor of Queen of France. Failing to reach the shore, he finds refuge on a small yacht, later disembarking onto an island known as Isle des Chevaliers. He takes shelter in a residence known as L'Arbe de la Croix, inhabited by Valerian Street and his wife, Margaret, along with their domestic staff. Among the residents is Jadine Childs, niece of two house staff members, who is visiting after studying at the Sorbonne and modeling in Paris, all financed by Valerian. Constant disagreements between Margaret and Valerian, largely due to Margaret inviting guests against Valerian's preference, create tension. An unexpected discovery of the hidden seafarer, named Son, in Margaret's closet, further exacerbates the situation, although Valerian invites Son to stay.

The following day, Margaret locks herself in her room, upset with Valerian. Meanwhile, Jadine, receives a lavish sealskin coat from her wealthy boyfriend, Ryk. While trying on the coat, she engages in a flirtatious conversation with Son that soon frightens her. After Son's inappropriate comments, Jadine decides to report him to Valerian. However, Son manages to find Valerian first and impresses him with his gardening knowledge and humor. Seeing the now groomed Son, Jadine chooses not to report him and instead invites him for a beach picnic, where they discover some common ground.

As Christmas arrives, hoped-for guests fail to arrive due to inclement weather, dampening Margaret's mood. Tensions rise further when Valerian fires two staff members for apple theft, resulting in a heated exchange culminating in the revelation of Margaret's previous maltreatment of their son. Son and Jadine depart the scene, ending up in bed together, and soon leave for New York. The transition to spring sees Jadine and Son visiting Son's hometown, Eloe, Florida. The trip exposes their differences, causing their relationship to deteriorate. Following a severe argument, Jadine decides to leave Son and New York, planning to return to Paris. After a short stop at Isle des Chevaliers to get her sealskin coat, she departs to Paris, instructing her aunt and uncle not to inform Son of her whereabouts. Despite being left stranded in a foggy patch of the island by Thérèse, who had promised to bring him to Jadine, Son chooses to join the island's wild horsemen, descendants of the first slaves on the island.