Summary

In Chapter 1, set in October of 1946, Pete Banning woke knowing it was the day he had to do the killing. He could no longer continue his daily routine, and felt that he would be a coward, if he did not take care of matters. As he waited for his coffee to brew, Pete stretched his legs, both of which had been injured in the war.

Outside, the cotton was ready to be picked. He knew he would probably be executed but planned for the farm, which had been in his family for generations, to support his son and daughter. As a child, he had worked in the fields alongside the blacks. Pete talked to Buford, his foreman, before he headed to his sister house for breakfast. Florry was divorced and not looked upon kindly in their Mississippi town. Pete and Florry talked...