Levi is fictional in nature. Yet, it is historically accurate concerning the relationship between white and black during the time when cotton was picked by hand.
The story develops around a boy by the name of Alex Morgan and his struggle to live in a dysfunctional family. When Alex was young, his daddy was the love of his life. Alex was five when his younger sister took his place. It was the first time he wondered if a person could think himself dead. The second time was when he was sixteen. There must have been other times, in between. How could his daddy love him one day and reject him the next? Alex searches for the answer, in the meantime, he blames himself.
Alex watches his parents, the fussing, the fighting, when will it end? The sight and smell of blood, how will it end? The family doctor tells Alex that it will never get any better, that he should leave as soon as he gets old enough. But, when was old enough?
Other than his love for his mother, Alex had little use for people, black or white. He saw the world through numbers and other things not common. His desire to be loved leads him into a forbidden friendship with a black man. It was a dangerous thing to do, something Alex did not understand until it was too late.