Set in Florida in 1900 - 1920, Color Struck begins on a Jim Crow train carriage. Barely making the train, Emma and John's journey commences with an argument. Emma saw John speaking to a lighter-skinned Black woman, Effie, and was immediately jealous, assuming he was flirting. Throughout the play Emma continues to display animosity towards those with lighter skin, and cannot trust John’s love because of how she feels about herself as a dark skinned woman. The opening scene introduces John, Emma, and others from around Florida - Jacksonville, Augustine, and Eatonville - as they head to a cakewalk / dance contest. Scene two takes place right before the contest, scene three occurs during the contest, and the fourth and final scene occurs twenty years later. John returns from up North and professes his love and commitment to Emma, who rejects John's declaration. Finally, a tragic loss closes the 1 act play.

Color Struck was first published in Fire!! magazine and won second prize in the Opportunity magazine's contest for best play. Now republished in a new edition, Hurston's play is not one to be missed by those with an interest in Harlem Renaissance literature.