Like Doves of the Valleys

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"My new mistress proved to be all she appeared when I first met her at the door-a woman of the kindest heart and finest feelings...But, alas! this kind heart had but a short time to remain such. The fatal poison of irresponsible power was already in her hands, and soon commenced its infernal work. That cheerful eye, under the influence of slavery, soon became red with rage; that voice, made all of sweet accord, changed to one of harsh and horrid discord; and that angelic face gave place to that of a demon." --Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass Carrie Adams left a privileged but confining lifestyle in antebellum Virginia to settle with George, a poor but earnest man in the backcountry of North Carolina. Together they plan a life free from the societal confines of wealth by carving a farm out of the wilderness. Soon though, the ledger sheet of their farm turns to red, and Carrie devises a sinister plan involving the lives of their enslaved population to make ends meet. The scheme requires George's active participation, who understands Carrie's idea's necessity, and as a dutiful husband, he agrees. Neither of them realizes the price that each of them will pay for their dream. The plantation they created will prosper, while their marriage, even their entire family, is shattered by their unthinkable undertaking to attempt to play God.