Let Us Descend tells the story of American slavery from the perspective of Annis, a young girl who was fathered by the man who sold her into slavery. She spent her early life with her mother on the plantation she worked at. She was incredibly close to her mother, who doted on her and told stories of her family history, but she didn't really know her father, who disavowed her and pretended that she didn't exist. After all, it was frowned upon to have a child with one of your slaves.
When Annis is sold into slavery, she is devastated but doesn't fully understand the implications of her father's actions. Above all, she doesn't know the pain or sorrow she will come to feel. Initially, after being sold to someone new, Annis is forced to march to the rice fields of North and South Carolina, where she diligently works in less-than-ideal conditions. There, she considers her role in the world and questions why she was put on the Earth. She also explores her identity and tries to determine, with the help of stories her mother told her (about her African warrior grandmother, for example), who she truly is.
Eventually, Annis is sold again at a slave auction in New Orleans. She is still young, her owner says and can be a useful worker, so he forces her to walk to the brutal New Orleans slave market. The journey is long and arduous, but she perseveres. But that doesn't change her feelings about her situation. She yearns for nothing more than to find a purpose in life and to find true love.
Annis is sold to a Louisiana sugar plantation owner. After being treated horribly and being manipulated for some time, Annis' spirit is nearly broken. But then she finds a world beyond the physical world; she becomes spiritual, drawing on the elements, myth, history, and spirits to survive the hellscape that is slavery.
Her life at the plantation is hard, and her work hours are arduous, but her spirits change even more when she meets another woman. The two become close very quickly and become lovers. Together, the two are able to survive day in and day out. But together, they also realize that they can have something more in their lives. And they plot a plan to escape, which they ultimately effectuate—but not without pain and suffering.
