The Homesteader is a semi-autobiographic novel about Jean Baptiste, an African-American homesteader in the Dakotas. He meets Agnes who he falls in love with, however as Agnes is presumed to be white, he is not allowed to marry her, so instead he marries the daughter of a black preacher, Orlean, which eventually, due to family issues, ends in a tragedy. Returning to his homestead, he finds Agnes again and discovers her upbringing and past, which brings the book to its conclusion.