The hauntingly pale, steely-eyed Joshua York doesnt care that the icy winter of 1857 has wiped out all but one of Marshs dilapidated fleet; nor does he care that he wont earn back his investment in a decade. Abner Marsh, a struggling riverboat captain, suspects that somethings amiss when he is approached by a wealthy aristocrat with a lucrative offer. Not until the maiden voyage of Fevre Dream does Marsh realize that he has joined a mission both more sinister, and perhaps more noble, than his most fantastic nightmare-and humankinds most impossible dream. Yorks reasons for traversing the powerful Mississippi are to be none of Marshs concern-no matter how bizarre, arbitrary, or capricious Yorks actions may prove.