Fred Daniels, a Black man, is picked up by the police after a brutal double murder and tortured until he confesses to a crime he did not commit. After signing a confession, he escapes from custody and flees into the city's sewer system, embarking upon a life he never could have imagined. Written by Richard Wright in 1942—between his masterpiece Native Son and the memoir Black Boy—this searing novella is paired here with his substantial essay "Memories of My Grandmother."