An ex-jazz saxophonist and his best friends Tony and Miles Cardo grew up in Big Sleazy in Louisiana, a religious neighborhood with resident gangsters and musicians. After the three served in Vietnam, Miles and the saxophonist become professional musicians; Tony suffers from posttraumatic stress disorder and turns to organized crime. As the three continue their friendship, New Orleans experiences dramatic changes. During the 1980s, crack cocaine entered the projects and gun violence increased. Miles and the saxophonist become heroin addicts until Tony places them in a Catholic hospital to rehabilitate. Hurricane Katrina hits New Orleans and drowns the city, killing residents. The saxophonist spots the floating corpse of a priest who had tried to get the community to leave the neighborhood before the hurricane. When most people stayed because they lacked transportation, the priest stayed. The saxophonist sees, smells, and hears the dead and dying all around him. The devastation reminds the saxophonist and Miles of their time in Vietnam. But they hold on hope that their friend Tony will come to rescue them. A wooden statue of Jesus Christ floats by. The saxophonist wonders why nobody has yet come to their rescue, but in the company of his oldest friend Miles and the statue of Jesus Christ during a traumatic disaster, he has “no grief with the world.”