New Orleans smolders with the heat, civil unrest, and passion of the 1963 American South. In the Chevalier Garden District mansion, 116-year-old Lela Chevalier Roberts presses on with her narration of the family history to her great-grandson Julian Charles Chamberie. Julian defies Hell and requests to return to the land of his testing and heartache, La Rose Plantation. Lela narrates to Julian the life of her protector, Toussaint Bailey, who traverses the perilous path from slavery on La Rose Plantation to the life of a prominent mortician in late 19th century New Orleans. In the face of tragedy and bondage, Toussaint is spirited away to France, where he sips the cup. Growing in the Spirit, Toussaint wields his supernatural powers to combat the evil forces seeking to destroy his charge, the Rose, and the End Time King, Le Baton.