Wind in the Cane surrounds the 18th century odyssey of a new-world Irishman, Matthew Delaney, from Chesapeake Bay to the Caribbean where he runs a sugar plantation on the island of St. John. Author Kathryn Pippin depicts her characters vividly as all too human; she portrays plantation life and times by descriptions of everyday life and the cruelties visited upon a large segment of humanity by way of slavery. An engaging read.