Content Warning: This section discusses racism and colorism, forced transition and gender dysphoria, discrimination and violence toward transgender people, child abuse, domestic violence, sexual violence, sexual activity between children, anti-gay bias and discrimination, child loss, and suicide and suicidal ideation.

In 1940, Gustavus “Gus” Peace—the father of six boys—awaits the birth of his next child. Gus thinks about the rain, explaining that the rain allows him the chance to become emotional and cry. He claims to be an extremely emotional person, but his ability to show his emotions in public has been lost due to his father’s abuse; his father believed that men should not cry.

In another room, Gus’s wife, Emma Jean Peace, is in active labor. Henrietta, a midwife, helps her to deliver the child. Meanwhile, Gus thinks about each of his children. The eldest boy is James Earl Peace, a quiet, timid young man whom Gus believes may have an intellectual disability. Authorly Peace—an accidental misspelling of the name Arthur Lee—is 14 months younger than James Earl. Authorly is very talkative and muscular, and he is the leader of all the siblings. Woody Peace is a very charming and charismatic young man; he tells stories to the people in his community and earns money doing it.