My Son's Story is a retrospective account of the protagonist's life. The novel opens with the narrator, Will, seeing his father, Sonny, the protagonist of the story who is an anti-apartheid activist, with his white mistress. Will's father hushed him to silence but the experience left a lasting impression on Will's young mind. Sonny, born to mixed parentage, is victimized by the education system of South Africa. His quest for knowledge gains him the position of the school teacher in a respectable school. He is content with his middle class life. When his children grow up, however, he realizes the need for resistance. He wants his sons to be treated at par with the white counterpart. He joins the protest march and as a consequence he loses his job but gains a celebrity status amongst his fellow men. Sonny joins a shadowy underground organization and starts writing fiery speeches for them. It is at this time in Sonny's life that his son sees him with his mistress. to Will's surprise, his mother and sister were aware of his father's mistress. Will decides to write a story from his perspective and the novel reads as a biography of Sonny's life written by his son.
