The eponymous Ourika is a black woman brought up in aristocratic society in pre- and post-Revolution France. Taken as an infant by a French slave trader from her native Senegal, Ourika is given as a gift to Mme de B. Instead of raising her as a slave or household servant, Mme de B educates Ourika in all trappings of a young, aristocratic Frenchwoman. As a result, Ourika’s nature is more suited for the salon than servitude. Ourika is skillful and artistic, especially with singing and dancing. She performs for the benefit of Mme de B’s friends, where she is highly regarded both for her skill and for the spectacle she presents as a black woman in high society during an era when social elevation was unavailable to nonwhites.  

Mme de B. and her friends love, spoil, and praise Ourika “as the most clever and endearing of children” (7). Ourika’s privileged, insulated upbringing protects her from the racism of French society. But when the illusion is shattered, Ourika must come to terms with the fact that she is an outcast; she will be “‘alone, always alone in the world” (12). She finds this a difficult reality to accept, spiraling into a depression and becoming not just mentally distressed but also physically ill.