His Narrative Summary

A young man, who has taken to the sea with a group of fellow refugees from Haiti, writes to his young love that he has had to leave behind. Friends since childhood, the man fears that she will be married off by her father in his absence. He describes his longing for her and asks her to promise not to marry a soldier because he had seen the way their experiences strip them of their humanity.

The young man describes in detail the other passengers on the ship. Most of them are older, but one girl seems to be about his age. She is pregnant. He is thankful that there are not any children on the boat because he feels their eyes would convey the despair each passenger struggles against. He attempts to remember what he can of America and Miami...