It's spring 1964, and Fleur-de-Lys Records is sending its Soul Cavalcade around the country: 20 cities in 24 days, a couple dozen singers and musicians all squashed on one bus. Then there's Esme Hunter— the newest member of the troupe, a singer with an astonishing secret that will soon spin the Cavalcade upside-down. A comedy with Shakespearean tones, a wild romp with blistering music, an always fascinating story with tinges of tragedy, this book gets to the heart of American soul music.