Summary

The novel opens with a brief description of Charon County, Virginia; Cosby writes that—like much of the American South—Charon County is built on “blood and tears. Violence and mayhem. Love and hate” (2).

Charon County’s first Black sheriff, Titus Crown, lives with his father, Albert. Titus moved back home after working as an FBI agent in Indiana; an ambiguous incident involving a white supremacist named Red DeCrain sent Titus back to Virginia. He eats breakfast with Albert and reflects on his mother’s death, as well as an upcoming parade hosted by the Sons of the Confederacy. He thinks of his ex-girlfriend, Kellie, and his current girlfriend, Darlene, noting that “Kellie was the past. Darlene was his present” (7). Albert mentions Titus’ brother, Marquis, whom they rarely see. They discuss the tenuous electoral support for Titus in Charon County; many of the...