The following version of the book was used to create this study guide: Clark, P. Djeli. The Black God's Drums. Tom Doherty Associates, New York, NY, 2018. Kindle AZW file.

This Black God's Drums is set in New Orleans during a fictionalized time in 1884. A girl named Jacqueline, better known as Creeper for her ability to climb, is living on the streets. She is a streetwise orphan who has developed a network of people who help as much as she allows. Creeper has visions given to her by the presence of the goddess Oya. Creeper and Oya have a connection that Creeper finds comforting, though difficult to describe.

In this setting, the war between the Union and Confederacy raged for eight years before officials came to a truce. Creeper is aware that truce could end any day. New Orleans, the site of a slave uprising during the early part of the war, forced both sides to cede their interest. This made New Orleans a truly free state. Meanwhile, the Confederacy continues to use slaves. Any Black who did not manage to reach the Union is still in slavery, most controlled through the use of a chemical called drapeto gas. The gas prompts the slaves to be entirely docile without the will to fight or escape.

Creeper is about to steal a watch one evening when she hears some men discussing a Haitian scientist and the Black God's Drums. Creeper knows this information would be valuable to the right person. She tells Ann-Marie St. Augustine, the captain of the airship Midnight Robber. Creeper is hoping that Ann-Marie will take her on as a member of her crew. Creeper quickly discovers that Ann-Marie has a connection to the goddess Oshun. Oya and Oshun are at odds, having both loved the same god.

Creeper and Ann-Marie travel to La Ville Morte – the dead city – in search of the Haitian scientist named Doctor Duval and the Black God's Drum. Creeper is aware that the Black God's Drum is extremely powerful. It has been used only once with devastating results. They discover that Doctor Duval is handing over the Black God's Drum in an effort to save his daughter Jewel who is being held hostage. Creeper and Ann-Marie are about to return to the airship when a man sets off the cannon, releasing the Black God's Drum into the air. Creeper realizes that a storm of epic proportions is about to strike New Orleans without warning, probably killing most of the people. She calls on Oya to help quell the storm. Just then, a wave knocks her into the water. The water becomes a grasping thing, pulling her down until Ann-Marie calls on her own goddess. Oshun has a connection to the river. Together, Oshun and Ann-Marie push Oya out of the water. At that point, Creeper dismantles the storm. Creeper hopes Ann-Marie will let her stay. Instead, Ann-Marie proposes that Creeper attend school for now with plans to meet again soon and revisit the possibilities at some point in the future.