Saltwater Juno: The Splintered Road

The nightmare of separation becomes reality at the coastal border. To maximize his profits, the ruthless trader Noah Hébert tears Juno’s family apart, selling his wife Nan and young son Cato northward into South Carolina, while shackling Juno and his light-skinned sister-in-law, Bet, together for maritime transit eastward. Bound at the wrists, navigating a terrifying coastal transit march, Bet finds herself falling desperately in love with the fierce resilience of the man chained to her—mistaking his survival instincts for romantic devotion.

When a torrential storm triggers a sudden flash flood, softening the wooden pilings of their holding pen, Juno leverages the rotting timber to execute a brutal, muddy breakout. But freedom is short-lived. Unleashed on their heels is Mr. Sam, a notorious slave catcher with a blank-check contract to bring them back dead or alive.

As they run parallel to the coastal shipping tracks through freezing swamps and sharp sawgrass, Juno keeps his eyes fixed solely on the northern star, entirely consumed by his mission to find Nan. Driven by a secret affection that sharpens against his single-minded devotion, Bet resolves to stay by his side, no matter the cost. Packed with percussive tension and raw emotion, The Splintered Road tracks two fugitives crossing into dangerous enemy territory, walking straight back into the lion's den to reclaim what was stolen.