The novel's male protagonist, Inman is a native of Cold Mountain, NC, who has suffered a grave neck wound in the Battle of Fredericksburg. We first meet him in a military hospital, where he miraculously survives. Suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, fearing a return to active duty, disillusioned with the war, and longing for the preacher's daughter, Ada Monroe, Inman slips away from the hospital one night. Inman knows deserters are being actively hunted, so he avoids highways and treks through forests and lowlands. Still, he runs into trouble re-provisioning and often goes hungry. After preventing a murder by a preacher-rapist and leaving the perpetrator for parishioners to punish, Inman encounters gypsies who feed him, is re-united with the preacher, Solomon Veasey, and puts up with him as a traveling companion for a while. Inman.....
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