Having survived the worst effects of the Civil War, the city of Memphis, battered but unbowed, finds itself facing a far more dangerous foe. It is invisible, lethal, and unstoppable: a plague of yellow fever. It is the story of JP Mahoney, 14-year-old farm boy who dreams of escape from tedious chores and farmlife routine. It is the story of a courageous young woman, Ginnie Moon, onetime Confederate spy, who now operates a boarding house for men who have survived the war. And it is the story of Kevin O'Boyle, an embittered riverfront laborer, who blames the world for his troubles, and finds the crippled city his perfect prey. Several characters in the novel are actual historical figures, most notably Ginnie Moon, Judge "Pappy" Hadden, and Cap'n Jim Lee. Their actions, and those of the other characters, are entirely fictional. The plague, one of several to hit the city in the years following the war, was all too real.