Sanctuary

In 1928, Nancy Mannigoe is condemned to death for the willful murder of the infant son of her white employer Mrs. Gowan Stevens. On the eve of her scheduled execution, Temple tries to save Nancy by telling her father, the governor, about the events leading up to the murder. This confession frames the rest of the narrative as a retrospective explanation of motive and guilt.

Six years earlier, Temple is a pleasure-loving college girl who carries on a flirtatious romance with young Gowan Stevens. The carefree mood hints at the choices and traps that will shape her adult life. Gowan appears as the man who will later become her husband and complicate her fate.

One night, Temple is raped by Candy Man, a Cajun bootlegger, in a backwoods still. The assault marks a brutal turning point that drives her toward a life she will later regret. The event foreshadows the intertwined paths of Temple, Candy Man, and Nancy.

The morning after, Temple willingly submits to more of Candy Man's lovemaking and agrees to live with him in a New Orleans brothel. She leaves her former life behind and begins a dangerous existence tied to Candy Man. This choice marks a radical break from her sheltered past.

Nancy Mannigoe becomes Temple's personal maid, supporting her in the life she has chosen. Temple revels in the world she had loved, with Nancy close at hand as a reminder of the life she left behind. Their bond deepens as the period of danger and desire continues.

Candy Man is reportedly killed in an auto accident, ending that volatile chapter. Faced with consequence, Temple is forced to return home to her husband and former life. The death redirects her path back toward marriage and social duty.

Temple marries Gowan Stevens after returning home, but the marriage proves dull and unsatisfying. The glamorous escape is replaced by routine and social expectations. Her discontent grows as she remains connected to the past through Nancy.

To keep the past alive and discipline herself, Temple hires Nancy as a servant in the household. The arrangement keeps Nancy close and ties her fate more tightly to Temple's. This living reminder deepens their interdependence.

Candy Man returns, reigniting the temptation to abandon her husband and home for the life she once knew. She contemplates running off with him again, drawn by the lure of danger and desire. Nancy watches, aware that another crisis could follow.

To bring Temple to her senses and prevent her from ruining her life, Nancy sacrifices the infant child by smothering it to death. The act is a brutal mercy that binds the two women together through shared guilt. It marks the ultimate cost of their intertwined fates.

Though shocked by Temple's candor, the governor cannot grant a pardon for Nancy. The law and political duty prevail over mercy, sealing Nancy's fate in the eyes of the state. The moment crystallizes the tragedy at the story's center.

The next morning Temple visits Nancy in her cell; the two women beg each other's forgiveness for the pain they caused. Temple realizes that her own salvation has come through Nancy's sacrifice, reframing the events as a shared fate rather than isolated acts. The encounter culminates in a quiet, moral reconciliation.