"It is the present-day, and the world is as we know it: smartphones, social networking, Happy Meals. Save for one thing: the Civil War never occurred. A gifted young black man calling himself Victor has struck a bargain with federal law enforcement, acting as a bounty hunter for the U.S. Marshals Service. He's got plenty of work. In this version of America, slavery continues in four states, the Hard Four. On the trail of a runaway known as Jackdaw, Victor arrives in Indianapolis knowing that something isn't right--with the case file, with his work, and with the country"--