Ruby Bell is the novel’s namesake and protagonist. Her name, Ruby, alludes to her great physical beauty. Ruby is the product of the rape of a teenaged Charlotte Bell. When she is only a year old, Charlotte moves to New York and leaves her behind. Ruby follows the trace of her mother to New York at 18 before returning in 1963. Upon her return, her mental health declines steeply. She is considered “crazy” by the townsfolk due to her erratic behavior, which is the outward manifestation of trauma-induced mental illness. Ruby can see into the spirit world and interacts with the spirits of dead children, whom she feels compelled to protect. Simultaneously, she is hunted by the Dyboù, who wants to consume her and the children.

Ruby’s life is affected by the violent intersection of racism and misogyny. As a Black woman, she is treated as disposable by men and women across all ethnicities. Her mother flees this same violence and hatred, leaving Ruby without a protector. Starting in childhood, she is sexually assaulted by Reverend Jennings, who orchestrates her ritualistic rape and then forces her into commercial sexual exploitation. During her time at the brothel, Ruby suffers further traumatic experiences, including witnessing the murder of her friend Tanny and the premature death of the baby daughter she has at only 14.