Tea Cake and Janie move to the Everglades to work on the “muck” where beans and sugar cane are grown. In love and poverty, Janie and Tea Cake find happiness. When a great hurricane comes, they are forced to leave their home to survive the storm. When trying to cross a river during the storm, Tea Cake saves Janie's life from a rabid dog, who bites him instead of Janie. However, Tea Cake falls ill with rabies from the injury. He tries to kill Janie because of injury induced hallucinations. She shoots first and kills Tea Cake in self-defense. Her heart breaks after killing the only man she ever loved. Janie is put on trial, with an all-white male jury, in accusation of murdering her late husband. The jury finds her innocent, since she shot him
