Youma is young, beautiful, and proud, but not free. Her mother is a "da," the wet nurse in a house of wealthy white Creoles in Martinique. She enjoys respect and privileges, but although she and Youma belong to the family, they are slaves. When the daughter of the house dies shortly after her wedding and the birth of a girl, Youma becomes the "da" of the little orphan. Like a mother, she raises Mayotte, comforting her with the fabulous tales of Creole folklore and becoming her savior. When a storm of unrest breaks out in the village and on the plantation amid tropical vegetation, Youma is forced to make a fateful decision. "Youma" is Lafcadio Hearn's second novel, another forgotten masterpiece of American literature and a classic of French Creole literature.