The narrative begins in Spanish Guinea. Oyono describes Spanish Guinea as a place he and his compatriots can “slip away to” whenever troubles with whites become too heated. Oyono will soon be leaving, however, and though the Spanish who are hosting him in want to throw him a farewell party, the evening is marked with sadness as drum rolls indicate a misfortune in a nearby village. Anton, the Spaniard who has taken Oyono in temporarily, indicates that the drum rolls mean a Frenchman is near death in the village of M’founa. Oyono, who is from the Cameroons, feels sorry for this unknown countryman who is purportedly near death.

Oyono and Anton set out to find the dying Frenchman. When they arrive, they find a sad sight indeed. The dying man is beyond help, and asks a troubling question about who black men who are called French truly are. He then indicates that though he has been “caught” by his pursuers, he is happy to be dying far away from them. He soon dies from his wounds, and his belongings are given to Oyono. The two exercise books, which contain the man’s journals, are translated by Oyono, and provide the contents for the novel Houseboy.