This richly tapestried tale, rife with wisdom, heroism and heartache about the current state of the Haitian society, starts with a murder mystery. Odilon, a young peasant from the village of Anwodo, worries about his brother Avisène, innocently arrested and murdered by the corrupt local authorities. Odilon swears to avenge his brother's death. When he travels to the nearby city of Saint Louis one day, Odilon experiences gunfire and bombs exploding all around. It is the beginning of a revolution. Olivier Zebeda, leader of the Revolutionary Resistance Front (RRF), delivers a moving speech extolling the virtues of fighting for freedom and democracy. Odilon is fired up. He soon becomes the leader of a peasant movement in his village. In the process, he meets Thérèse. The two swiftly become more than ardent friends. They are now lovers in each other's arms to weather the fear of war and to share dazzling moments of victories in the battlefield. The tolls of war are graphically portrayed, including important military takeovers of towns and territories and the wide variety of positions taken by the RRF field commanders. Strategies and battle plans are recounted in great detail and sophisticated depth, showing how the war rages back and forth, with the advantage gradually shifting away from the rebel fighters over to the government troops. Most people in Anwodo escape, as the fighting in Saint Louis edges closer to the village. The revolution fails to triumph, and a systematic repression immediately follows, forcing thousands to flee their native land, including Odilon and Thérèse.