In Percival Everett's James, Jim becomes a runaway slave after he hears that he's going to be sold by his owner, Miss Watson, and separated from his family. He escapes to a nearby island, but he's very quickly joined by a local boy, Huckleberry "Huck" Finn, who has faked his death in hopes of getting away from his abusive father.
The chain of events sets Jim and Huck off on an adventure down the Mississippi River, resulting in a variety of colorful, dangerous and at time tragic encounters as they make their way down the river.
Meanwhile, Jim has his own goals of finding a way to free his wife and daughter. He also has to keep himself and Huck alive in the process, as well as to preserve his dignity and reclaim his identity.
