Part romance, part adventure yarn, part horror story, part apocalyptic prediction. A southern gothic, dystopian novel about a endearing 14 year old boy and his friend growing up in a mythical Southern town in Alabama at a time when the Christian Soldiers are fighting the Rebels. It draws on the most fantastic elements in the tradition of the Southern novel. Buddy, an orphan, lives in the woods with Sack, a scary costume he uses when he wants to make an impression on the cruel adult world. He rescues Cissy, another orphan, and together they face the forces of evil and betrayal.