Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone

Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone is the ninth novel in Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander series. The story follows Claire Beauchamp Randall Fraser, a nurse/doctor who travels through time and marries Scots warrior/landowner Jamie Fraser. Their story takes them from Scotland, France, and Jamaica to the American colony in North Carolina—named Fraser’s Ridge. However, the Revolutionary War soon lands on their doorstep. The Outlander series features nine official novels, plus novellas, supplemental series, and companion books. Outlander (2014) is also a Starz television series.

This guide uses the Delacorte Press Kindle e-book edition of the novel. Pagination may vary in other editions.

Content Warning: The source material discusses sexual assault and violence against women, and it contains historically inaccurate depictions of Indigenous Americans.

Plot Summary

Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone begins in summer of 1779 just after the return of Brianna and Roger MacKenzie to Fraser’s Ridge. Claire and Jamie learn of the kidnapping of their grandson, Jem, by Rob Cameron and his accomplices; they learn that Roger went back to 1739 to search for Rob but instead found his own father, as well as Jamie’s father, Brian Fraser. Brianna brought back books from the future, including a historical text written by Frank Randall called The Soul of a Rebel: The Scottish Roots of the American Revolution.

During their absence, the meeting house burned down. The community comes together to rebuild, and Roger begins working toward becoming ordained. He shares the church building with one of Jamie’s tenants, a former British naval captain, Charles Cunningham, who offers Methodist services before Roger’s Presbyterian services, and Rachel, Ian’s wife, who offers Quaker meetings.

Lord John Grey writes to Jamie and asks that Brianna come to Savannah to create a portrait of an acquaintance’s wife while also noting that William, John’s stepson and Jamie’s biological son, is in town. Brianna goes, excited to get to know her brother better. William, who only recently learned of the truth of his birth, struggles with his identity and the titles bestowed on him by his mother’s husband that he no longer feels worthy of. William is also searching for his cousin Benjamin, having learned that he is not buried in the grave that bears his name.

On the way to Savannah, Brianna and Roger stop in Charles Town, where they reunite with Brianna’s adopted brother, Fergus Fraser, and his family. Fergus’s newspaper is harassed by loyalists and, upon learning that Charles Town will soon be under British siege, decides to leave Charles Town with Brianna and Roger. Fergus and his family relocate to Wilmington.

On Fraser’s Ridge, Ian receives word that his Mohawk wife lost her husband in battle and that her welfare is unknown. Ian decides to travel to New York to check on his former wife, taking his wife, son, and mother with him. While traveling, Ian stops in Philadelphia to check on the welfare of Silvia Hardman, a woman who helped Jamie when his back went out before the Battle of Monmouth. Ian discovers the woman is in dire straits and agrees to take her and her children with him. When they reach the Mohawk people, Silvia is shocked to find her husband remarried to a Mohawk woman. Ian takes Silvia and her children back to Fraser’s Ridge with him.

While in Savannah, Roger is drawn into the siege; he is present during the battle between America, France, and Britain. When Casimer Polaski is killed, Roger asks Brianna to come to the American camp and draw Polaski’s portrait for his soldiers. Brianna arrives in the company of her brother, William.

A short time later, William travels to New Jersey to seek out his cousin Dottie, who is reported to be ill and on the run from the British with her husband, Denzel Hunter. When William tracks Denzel down to a camp in New Jersey, he discovers that Benjamin, having changed loyalties, is alive and well, fighting for the Americans. William returns home to confront Benjamin’s wife, Amaranthus, with whom William has had a flirtation, after learning that she knew that Benjamin was still alive. Amaranthus runs away in shame, and William chases her down, bringing her back to Savannah in the hopes of marrying her. When they arrive home, however, they discover that Lord John Grey is missing.

Jamie reads The Soul of a Rebel, learning that he is to die in the Battle of Kings Mountain, near the ridge. Cunningham attempts to build a militia of loyalists and, upon Jamie’s interference, decides to arrest Jamie and turn him over to British Major Patrick Ferguson to prove his loyalty to the British crown. However, Jamie learns of Cunningham’s plans and manages to flee the area. There is a thunderstorm that night that causes a small landslide, and during the confusion of the fight and the landslide, Cunningham is shot in the back. Claire saves his life but is unsure if he will walk again. Cunningham’s mother decides to take him back to England.

As the date of the Battle of Kings Mountain approaches, Jamie builds a partisan band of patriots among his tenants and makes alliances with other militias in the area. On the day of the battle, Jamie is shot four times, including a near fatal shot to his chest. However, Claire goes onto the battlefield and treats Jamie’s wounds, refusing to leave him despite Roger and Ian telling her he is dead. Jamie recovers and returns to Fraser’s Ridge.

The war moves away from Fraser’s Ridge, arriving at the doorstep of Fergus Fraser, prompting him to send his oldest children to Jamie. Meanwhile, Silvia Hardman marries Bobby Higgens, whose wife died from a bear attack. As the wedding is celebrated on Fraser’s Ridge, William arrives, asking for Jamie’s help.