Cudjo is a Black seventeen-year-old in Reconstruction Era Texas. He lives in a rundown cabin. He doesn’t value religion much — it makes people feel good, but God hasn’t protected Black people from oppression in the real world. Even so, he attends church services at Ebenezer Baptist church out of habit. On a scorching summer day, he is on the way to a baptism at the local river. He feels unsettled and begins to daydream about Amber Lee, his childhood friend on whom he has a crush. Before long, the other church members arrive at the riverbank and the ceremony begins. The congregation launches into spirited praise. They sing and chant in a religious fervor. Even the faithless Cudjo is moved. The sweltering heat and the intense emotions sweep him into a maniacal ardor that culminates when he wades into the water and tries to wrench the baptismal candidate from the minister’s arms. The worshippers descend on Cudjo in terror. A deacon hauls him away and places him under a tree. When Cudjo comes to, he can still hear the strains of the music. He starts to obsessively think about Amber Lee again, and he makes his way to her house. When he arrives, he seems to be possessed by a devil. He grabs her and says that he will take her for himself. Amber freezes in fear. Cudjo snaps out of his reverie and realizes that he’s hurting her. He gently lets her go, and she says that he saved her from whatever had taken over his mind. He lets the cool breeze soothe him as the sun goes down, and he gazes at the horizon toward the river.