Coming of the Hurricane

Now middle age and a newly freed man, Crixus works as a store clerk in a small general store in Maryland, but he faces an uncertain future, unprepared for a life of freedom and haunted by restless phantoms of his past

Crixus desires only to provide as best he can for his young wife, Kazarah, who is close to delivering their first child. Crixus' inarticulateness concerning his feelings towards Kazarah threatens to drive her into the arms of Cayman, a dashing immigrant Jamaican boxer, who is younger and more prosperous

Cayman is on the eve of challenging John "the Hurricane" Blaine to a bare knuckle boxing match. "The Hurricane" is an ex-confederate soldier who has sworn to retrace the paths of famous battles of the Civil War fighting against opponents at the battle sites themselves

The projected fight between Cayman and the Hurricane is delayed enabling Cayman to challenge Crixus to a match. Crixus refuses at first but is ultimately swayed by pressure from Kazarah, who believes the money from fighting will do wonders for the future of their child

Crixus accepts, not knowing Cayman intends to throw the fight and make a killing on bets at the contest. The fight goes on as planned and Crixus wins

His future looks bright as he is able to buy the store where he works, but soon the store is burned to the ground by vandals. An enraged Crixus sells himself for money to challenge "the Hurricane" to a fight at Antietam with everything at stake

A taut, personal drama surrounded by the sometimes impersonal world of boxing; until revenge forces it to be very personal