Chapters 1-6
One afternoon, Candy Marshall, a white plantation owner, discovers that a white Cajun farmer, Beau Boutan, has been shot in the yard of a black man named Mathu. Being raised in part by Mathu, she feels the need to protect him. To do so, she enlists the help of seventeen other old Black men by telling them come to Mathu's yard, each with a shotgun and one empty number 5 shell. Within a few hours of discovering Beau's body, nearly every male member of the Black community at Marshall is there. Candy and the men all claim to be responsible for the murder in an effort to protect the guilty party.
Chapters 7-15
Sheriff Mapes arrives to the scene to arrest Mathu, whom Mapes believes to be the murderer. The sheriff also wishes to keep Beau's father, Fix Boutan, from coming to lynch Mathu, who he presumes killed Beau. Lou Dimes, Candy's boyfriend, also shows up, and tries getting Candy to stop protecting Mathu.
Meanwhile, Fix's son Gil, who happens to be a standout football player at LSU, heads home from Baton Rouge to try to convince Fix not to go to Marshall to seek revenge. Gil meets with his father and a group of other Cajuns in their house. Luke Will, a vigilante with ties to the Ku Klux Klan, tries to get Fix to lead a party to the Marshall plantation.
Back at Marshall, Sheriff Mapes gets word that Fix isn't planning on showing up. When he tells the others, Mathu agrees to head to jail for the murder of Beau. Many of the old men aren't happy about this, as they had been loading ammo into their guns and hoping to make a stand. After discussing with the others, Big Charlie finally admits to killing Beau, which he did in self-defense. He asks to be referred to as Mr. Biggs, and agrees to go in.
Chapters 16-20
After getting his group drunk at a bar, Luke Will shows up, his men armed with guns of their own. Mapes finds himself on the ground rather quickly, and a firefight ensues. By the end, one of Luke's men is wounded, and both Charlie and Luke are killed. The case goes to trial, and the judge gives all of the men a five year probation.
