Ed Protzel signs copies of his new book, The Lies that Bind. In 1859, Durksen Hurst, a visionary charlatan on the run, encounters a dozen hungry slaves stranded in the Mississippi wilds. Led by Big Josh, together they agree to build their own egalitarian plantation, with Hurst acting as figurehead "master" to hoodwink the town. But wise Big Josh fears that Hurst's grandiose schemes may doom them all to the hangman's noose. Meanwhile, Antoinette DuVallier, a beautiful, Cassandra-like fugitive from New Orleans, arrives on her own desperate mission.