"Fields of Prey" tells the story of a young slave girl through the eyes of a privileged young slave master. Spanning from 1852 to 1860, the story takes place in the fictional Cloverton, Missouri on a cotton plantation when young Ernest is given a slave as a Christmas present. He takes his charge seriously, but when he sets out as his father would to make his supreme presence supremely felt, a spark from the imaginative young Nina awakens his humanity...and love. Through her characters, Hughes vividly imagines a world where the horrendous nature of slavery and exploitation is commonplace. Ernest Lee Sturgess believes his love for Nina is real until the unthinkable happens....