The son of a white man and Cherokee slave, Joseph Willis, gains his freedom and swims the mighty Mississippi on a mule. Driven by three winds... * a wind of freedom driving him from North Carolina * a mighty rushing wind compelling him across the Mississippi River into the Louisiana Territory * a wind of war fueled by slavery Antebellum Louisiana Rooted in a time of tradition and chivalry, Joseph discovers a land of innocence lost. His life converges with Louisiana contemporaries, including Solomon Northup, James Bowie, William Prince Ford, Edwin Epps, John Murrell, John Audubon, Baroness...

"The best men I've known have been cowmen. There's a code they live by-it's their way of life. It starts with an abiding reverence for the Good Lord. They're taught to honor and respect their parents and to share both blanket and bread. Their words are their bond, a handshake their contract. They're good stewards of His creation, the land. They believe the words in His Book. Learn from these men-from their stories of triumph over tragedy-victory over adversity, for the wisdom of others blows where it wishes-like a Louisiana Wind." -Daniel Hubbard Willis Jr., 1900 This is the story of such...

"The best men I've known have been cowmen. There's a code they live by-it's their way of life. It starts with an abiding reverence for the Good Lord. They're taught to honor and respect their parents and to share both blanket and bread. Their words are their bond, a handshake their contract. They're good stewards of His creation, the land. They believe the words in His Book. Learn from these men-from their stories of triumph over tragedy-victory over adversity, for the wisdom of others blows where it wishes-like a Texas Wind." -Daniel Hubbard Willis Jr., 1900 This is the story of such...