The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man is the fictional account of a young biracial man, living in post-Reconstruction era America in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He lives through a variety of experiences, including witnessing a lynching, that convince him to "pass" as white to secure his safety and advancement, but he feels as if he has given up his dream of "glorifying" the black race by composing ragtime music.