"Feeding the Ghosts" is inspired by the true story of the Zong massacre, in which the captain of a slave ship ordered over 130 sick enslaved people to be thrown overboard to their deaths. The novel focuses on Mintah, a female slave who survives being thrown into the sea and secretly climbs back onto the ship. From her hiding place, Mintah attempts to rouse the remaining captives to rebel against the killings.
On finally reaching London, the Captain confidently lodges his insurance claim for his losses (the 130 enslaved people he had murdered by throwing them overboard), but his claim is challenged and the voice of the enslaved woman who returned from the dead is heard again.