each story involves other former slaves from the mcadoo plantation and other nearby plantations. most of the stories are derived from african american folktales and hoodoo conjuring traditions; others are revisions of tales from ovid's "metamorphoses". each story features a conjurer, most notably aun' peggy in "po' sandy," "mars jeems's nightmare," "sis' becky's pickaninny," and "hot foot hannibal." in "the conjurer's revenge" and "the gray wolf's ha'nt," uncle julius discusses the activities of free black conjure men.