Young Jackie runs away to sea and before long his ship is captured by pirates. Now sailing with the Moonraker and its captain, Jacky reaches Haiti and ends up fighting with Toussaint L'Ouverture in his struggle to free its enslaved people. Jesse's only adventure novel is in the tradition of classics like Treasure Island, but prompts the reader to think about freedom and what it means--for Toussaint and his followers, and for "free" women of that time. - Summary by Anne Erickson