The story is narrated in the first person and is an autobiographical memoir by a horse named "Black Beauty" - from his carefree days as a pony on a farm in England, to his difficult life as a taxi driver in London, to his happy retirement in the countryside. Along the way, he encountered many difficulties and told many cruel and kind stories. Each chapter tells of an event in the life of the Black Beauty, which includes a lesson or morality typically associated with the kindness, sympathy, and understanding of the horse