Surviving Savannah

Lilly sees land and imagines drinking fresh water. The passengers argue. Some think they need to risk getting to land now, while others want to wait until they can find a safe inlet. Eventually, Lilly admits that neither she nor Priscilla can swim. First Mate Hibbert says he and his boat will go first. The first lifeboat goes toward the breakers, surviving the first waves. The boat flips but, after a few tense moments, some manage to drag themselves to the shore. Lilly is determined that she and Priscilla will make it to land. Eventually, the group decides to try for land if help doesn’t arrive by sunset.

Oliver comes into Everly’s office. He asks if she has heard from Maddox. He stands close to Everly as she shows him the photos of newly recovered artifacts. Everly wants to see if the historical society has a Longstreet family tree. She also plans to visit Mora’s mother, Laurel, and grandmother, Josephine, to ask about the Pulaski painting’s origin. Everly wants Oliver to go with her to help navigate Laurel’s embittered state. Oliver is uncomfortable but agrees.

At Mora’s family home, Laurel doesn’t answer, but Everly knocks persistently. Laurel finally opens the door. Everly gives her a bouquet and asks about the painting. Laurel is unhappy that Oliver and Everly are together. Oliver clarifies their relationship is just professional, but Everly feels guilty. Laurel believes no one misses Mora as much as she does. They compliment the flowers she leaves at Mora’s grave but discover they aren’t from her. Everly apologizes for bothering her. Then Laurel calls Josephine down to tell them about the painting.

Josephine says she gave the painting to Papa because he liked it and she didn’t. The painting came from her husband’s family, but they weren’t on the Pulaski. She wishes she knew more but doesn’t. Once Everly and Oliver leave, they talk about how weird the interactions were, agreeing Josephine was hiding something. Everly spots a man who looks like the drunk driver who killed Mora. She runs up to him and shakes him. She realizes it isn’t him and apologizes.

Augusta is dehydrated and hungry. She daydreams about the market and its food. Augusta looks out to sea and notices a barely conscious man draped over a log. She and Lamar throw him a rope to pull him aboard. The man is Henry. Once on the floating wreckage, he collapses next to Augusta. Lamar leans him against a box and checks his pulse. Henry wakes up and thanks Augusta for saving him. Augusta reminds him they are still stranded at sea. He tells her she is brave and righteous. They’ll survive. He admits his feelings for her. They are surrounded by water but have nothing to drink. Augusta worries Thomas won’t last much longer.

Maddox enters Everly’s office, surprising her. He has new photos from the wreck. An article published in 1838 alerts them to how awful it would have been to think that one’s family arrived in Baltimore safely when they had actually been in a shipwreck. It is amazing how information is readily available online today. Maddox shows Everly the new photos. They look at an onyx ring that must have been valuable to its owner. Everly examines silverware marked with the initials BCM and LKM. No photos show the underside, which would have been stamped with the name of the forge it came from. The initials don’t match names on the partial manifest. Everly’s friend Maureen might know.

Lilly used to dream about running away, but it seemed impossible. Adam was too wealthy and powerful. She dreamed about moving far away and living in a cabin. She and Priscilla would raise Madeline and all would be well. But she could have been imprisoned or executed for freeing an enslaved person. Now, the possibilities are endless. The sun sets and everyone readies themselves for the treacherous journey to shore. Mr. Couper pairs the non-swimmers with those who can swim. Mr. Couper is paired with Lilly, and Mr. Harris is partnered with Priscilla. They paddle toward the breakers. Waves lift the lifeboat, and it capsizes. Lilly holds Madeline tightly as her head smacks against the boat. Mr. Couper pulls her upright. He tells her to stand, and the two slowly make it to the shore. Lilly is determined to survive as the waves hit them.

They reach shore and collapse. Everyone survived. Lilly reunites with Priscilla and thanks her profusely for saving Madeline. The men dig a hole near the beach and pass around the freshwater that comes from it. Lilly drinks and gives some to her daughter. She wonders who else survived. Shortly after she falls asleep, Lilly hears the voice of someone calling out to the survivors.

Everly and Maddox walk to the Owens-Thomas House and Slave Quarters Museum. Everly points out a variety of historical landmarks. Maddox brought a teapot and the pocket watch embossed with the mysterious family crest as well as the silverware with unknown initials. At the museum, Maureen examines the artifacts but doesn’t recognize the crest or initials. Everly is focusing on the Longstreets and trying to figure out who survived. Maureen warns that some families don’t like to talk about their history, alluding to the practice of slavery. Everly thanks Maureen for her help. She promises to be in touch with Maddox.

An ambulance passes Everly, causing a flashback to Mora’s death. She unknowingly walks to the cemetery, three miles away. She visits the graves of Mora, Papa, her grandmother, and her father. More flowers have been left at Mora’s grave. She compares the boiler explosion and Mora’s sudden death. Everly spent days looking for the driver. As she leaves the cemetery, she deviates from her usual path to give a mourner more space. As she does so, she sees the mysterious crest carved into a grave. It is that of Mora’s grandfather, Percival. 

The survivors landed in Onslow County, North Carolina. Rescuers bring water, coffee, cornbread, and bacon as well as clothes. The whole town is getting ready to care for them. Lilly asks if any other passengers survived. A ship that will be docking soon may have found survivors, but the rescuers seem doubtful. The survivors drink and eat until they are full, and Lilly hugs Priscilla. When it is time to go into town, the rescuers separate the Black survivors from the white. Lilly refuses to be separated from Priscilla.

Everly and Oliver return to Laurel’s home. Everly believes Laurel and Josephine are key to unraveling the mystery. Josephine greets Everly and Oliver. Everly shows her a photo of Percival’s gravestone, matching the crest to the one from the Pulaski artifacts. Josephine doesn’t know why Everly cares about the ship so much. Everly says she cares because Josephine’s family was on the boat. It’s part of her, and by extension Mora’s, story. Josephine believes the exhibit Everly is curating will tell awful stories of the past without bothering to understand them. Oliver states that the past can’t be changed, but it can shape the present. Josephine says if Oliver really loved Mora he would stop digging. Suddenly, Everly realizes Josephine’s reluctance is because Percival's mother was a Longstreet and therefore was descended from Charles. Josephine asks them to leave. Everly asks if she has any Longstreet family papers. Josephine believes Percival’s sister, Ingrid Morgan, might have had some. Josephine tells them where Ingrid lived before she died. But her daughter sold the house. Josephine is upset, and Oliver grabs Everly to leave.

Oliver holds on to Everly’s hand, dazed that Mora’s ancestors were on the Pulaski. Everly needs to find the family papers; they could lead to more information on Lilly and Augusta. Mora is helping them from beyond the grave. Oliver hesitates and tells her to be careful with her heart. They are researching the Pulaski, not Mora. Everly steps away from him, upset. She says that he asked her to make it personal so everyone could connect to the Pulaski disaster. Oliver, amazed by the connection between the Longstreets and Mora, agrees to go to Ingrid Morgan’s house.

Augusta sits next to an enslaved woman named Mauma. Augusta remembers a British woman who once visited the Longstreets and criticized the South: “Your devotion to conformity is like nothing I’ve ever seen. Despite being the most politically free people in the world, you are the least socially free I’ve ever encountered” (257). For the first time, Augusta sees the inhumanity of enslaving others. Henry asks if Augusta had seen any of Melody’s other children besides Thomas. She says she saw Charles briefly before they were separated by a wave. Henry thought Augusta died when her lifeboat capsized. He wished he had told her how he felt, and he says that propriety is stupid. She confesses her choice to save Thomas over Eliza, horrified at the weight of those actions. Henry says she did the best she could.

A man named Mr. Henderson finds wine, peppermint, and laudanum floating near the wreckage. A pastor thanks God for looking out for them. Moments later, two men clinging to flotsam climb onto the dock. One of the men is a husband of a survivor on the deck. The other man is a Danish sailor; he helps with the lifeboat. Augusta wonders if there is anything she could do to help. That night, Augusta asks if Lamar has considered that the boat he is trying to fix is the one that may have killed most of his family, devastating him. They resolve to survive for Thomas.

The group decides a few men will go to find help. Lamar is unwilling to leave what is left of his family. As the passengers argue over who will stay and go, a piece of flotsam comes near carrying two people. Lamar recognizes Charles. They pull them onboard. Charles is barely conscious and horribly sunburned. He asks about his mother and other siblings. Lamar can barely utter that they’re still missing. Charles saw her choose Thomas over Eliza. Augusta apologizes to Lamar and Charles. Lamar says she did everything she could. The woman who arrived with Charles passes out. Charles says her name is Olivia Barnsby, and they saved each other. Charles wants to help and discusses the lifeboat repairs with Lamar. Augusta revives the woman with peppermint oil. Thomas begs for water, and Augusta gives him a drop of wine.

The pastor’s wife dies. Augusta offers condolences to the pastor. A wave rocks the boat, and the pastor and his wife’s body are washed away. Augusta wonders if everyone will soon follow suit. A woman who had been listless sits up, ripping at her hair and dress. She screams for her husband, her wealth, and her gowns; then her eyes roll back and she dies. Augusta looks away. Thomas shakes and spasms. Augusta holds him, attempting to soothe him. Since Charles survived, there is hope for them all. She wonders if the other lifeboats have made it to shore and prays they have.

Everly and Oliver arrive at Ingrid Morgan’s home. It is being renovated. Oliver talks to the foreman and convinces him to let them look around. In the attic, they find old furniture and boxes. They look through the boxes until they find one labeled Longstreet, filled with papers and a book. Everly and Oliver flip through the pages. There is no way to sift through everything in the attic, and Oliver says they should take the boxes with them. A construction worker stops them, but Oliver convinces him they are taking the records to a museum. They retrieved six boxes of papers. They sort through the files, and Everly says, “You just never know what’s going to happen next” (273). Both Oliver and Everly realize that she hasn’t said that since Mora died. Most of the papers are business related, but the two of them compare the family tree to the names they find on the sheets. Oliver leaves, kissing Everly on the forehead. Everly falls asleep and dreams about diving with Mora. She decides she will dive again.

Augusta and the other survivors have been stranded at sea for four days. Augusta can barely hold on to Thomas. She feels like she’s dying but knows people love her and depend on her so she fights to survive. The Danish sailor and four other men take the lifeboat to look for help. A man requests a drop of wine. He shows Augusta his leathery tongue—a product of dehydration. Charles gives his share of wine to the man, and Augusta dubs him the Noble Boy. She says that God saved him. Charles argues that he saved himself and that God is not with them. Augusta urges him not to think that way but to pray and not give up. Time passes, and Thomas dies. Charles and Augusta mourn him. Charles hallucinates his childhood dog and collapses on Augusta. She holds him and Thomas’s body, huddling against Henry.

Lilly stays with the Benedict family in Onslow. Three days after she was rescued, she asks if any more survivors have been found. Mrs. Benedict says they haven’t found any yet. Lilly asks if anyone sent boats to search. Mrs. Benedict asks if Lilly’s husband was on the ship, causing Lilly to feign more grief than she feels. Mrs. Benedict adds that a boat is out searching for survivors. Mr. Benedict is a pastor whose beliefs pushed the family to welcome Priscilla into their home. Lilly asks Priscilla about her family. Priscilla doesn’t know more than what the ledger books say. Lilly apologizes, at a loss for how to respond. Priscilla says her family used to work in the fields before they were brought to town as enslaved people for domestic servitude. Her grandmother died in the fields. Lilly asks Priscilla what name her mother gave her. It was Chike, meaning power of God. Lilly begins calling her Chike, believing it suits her. Lilly believes they may be the only ones who made it to shore. Adam’s plantation will go to his brother, and they can look forward to a different kind of life.

Everly drives to her mother’s house to get her diving equipment and then drives to North Carolina. She discovered who the initials on the silverware belonged to, finding a complete manifest and identifying a book about Rhode Island lineages that mentions one George McLain surviving the Pulaski disaster. She also identified his wife, Louise Kathryn, and daughter, Beatrice. She calls Maddox when she figures it out, and he is very impressed. Everly wants to see the wreck in person and to dive it.

When Everly arrives in North Carolina, she meets Maddox and Oliver. She didn’t know Oliver would be there. A small argument breaks out. Everly is frustrated that Maddox invited Oliver and not her as well. She goes to the marina restaurant, trying not to cry. Oliver follows her, apologizing for not keeping her in the loop. They patch things up and plan their dive. Maddox declares Everly will not be diving. Everly protests, but Maddox won’t hear it and leaves. Oliver promises to sort things out. Later, Maddox relents but is not happy. Everly asks him why, and he alludes to the student who died. She insists that what happened to the student won’t occur. Maddox asks her if she’s certified and if all her equipment is up to date. She assures him of all. Maddox warns Everly to take the dive seriously. Eventually, Maddox, Everly, Oliver, and the crew reach the wreckage site and get ready to dive.

Underwater, Maddox orders Oliver and Everly to stay back from the main wreckage, but they can look for artifacts nearby in the sand. Everly, feeling transported to a dream world, finds several small artifacts: coins, a ring, a candlestick, and a comb. She feels ghosts all around as she looks at what is left of the Pulaski. She begins to hallucinate Mora. She swims after the illusion, but then the hallucinated Mora transforms into passengers of the Pulaski. Oliver grows concerned. Maddox signals to ascend. When Everly doesn’t go with them, Maddox grabs her, but Everly dives deeper. Everly realizes she must choose between life and death. She chooses life and knows that even though Mora is gone, she is still loved. She lets Oliver and Maddox take her up to the surface.

Augusta dreams she is at a party in Montgomery, Alabama. She’s embarrassed that she is wearing a wet nightgown. Dead bodies are everywhere at the party, and she feels sick. Mr. Hutchinson wakes her up and shows her large sails moving toward them. They will be rescued after five days and five nights. Augusta has never seen such a beautiful sight; she then passes out. When she reawakens, she finds herself in a cabin. Next to her is Charles. She screams out for Thomas as she remembers he died. A ship’s mate sees she is awake and gives her water to drink. Charles wakes up, unsure of where he is, and when Augusta tells him they’ve been saved, he collapses again. Augusta asks about Lamar, and the sailor says they have found no one by that name. Then she asks about Lilly and Henry. The sailor says they have a Forsyth and a MacMillan. They will find out more when they dock in Wilmington, North Carolina. She wonders if the Forsyth aboard is Lilly or Adam, hoping it is her niece.

Everly wakes up below deck. She realizes she experienced narcosis from the pressure underwater. Maddox says he should have stopped her from diving, but Everly assures him it wasn’t his fault. She says she’s fine, even better than before. She has gained clarity and feels reborn after the dive. Maddox is shaken by her response. Oliver comes down the stairs and shows her a luggage tag with “A. Longstreet” inscribed on the back. Everly is thrilled. She feels as if Augusta doesn’t want her to give up. Everly heads to the inn. Maddox follows her. He asks her what happened, and Everly tells him about the hallucinations. Maddox is frustrated he didn’t notice her condition sooner. Everly say that even though Mora is gone, she’s still present with her. She realizes Maddox understands and has made the same choices. Maddox leaves after he tells her it’s a privilege to share living a life with her. Everly goes to her hotel room and falls asleep.

Oliver wakes Everly up, feeling the need to check on her. Everly asks how he got into her room, and he admits he told the desk worker that he was Everly’s husband. He asks what happened. Everly says she saw Mora and the ghost of a woman and child. She admits she wanted to go into death with them but chose to live instead. Oliver says he doesn’t know what he would do if she died. She tells Oliver what Papa used to say about the survivors of the Pulaski: “Some people didn’t die and some people lived” (322).

A large crowd is gathered at the docks in Wilmington. As a ship docks, Augusta sees Adam. She asks him if Lilly is with him, and he shudders, saying no. Adam tells her that he survived by clinging to a settee. They agree that surviving was hell.

Mrs. DeRosset tells Augusta that Lamar and other men survived and were found 40 miles north of Wilmington. Augusta asks about Henry, but Mrs. DeRosset doesn’t know. Augusta looks at a list of survivors and sees that Lilly survived. Lamar arrives, and their reunion is bittersweet. They survived but are devastated by all the familial death. Augusta asks Lamar, “How will we survive the surviving?” (330).

Instead of going to bed, as she had planned, Everly looks through the files and boxes again. She finds a document titled “The Calamity of the Pulaski.” Everly calls Oliver, asking him to come over immediately. They discover that it is part of a memoir written by Augusta Longstreet. Everly and Oliver excitedly find more pages tucked away in a file. Everly proposes to use Augusta’s account and make the exhibit interactive. Oliver thinks it could work. With Augusta’s account, they now know that only three members of the Longstreet family survived. Lilly was listed as a survivor, but her fate after the disaster is a mystery. Everly is determined to try to tell the full story, including Charles’s fate. The Red Devil squandered his second chance at life, but Oliver and Everly will not.

Everly goes to the cemetery. A fresh bouquet has been left at Mora’s gravestone. She admires it as she thinks about Mora’s connection to both Augusta and Charles, a mixture of light and dark traits that are in everyone. She thinks she should have something to say to Mora as she considers the ancestral connection. Her mind wanders to her growing attraction to Oliver. She can’t stop her feelings but decides not to say anything about it. She sees a bald man one plot over. He approaches her. She feels uneasy the closer he gets. He says the flowers are from him. He removes his sunglasses. She sees he’s on the verge of tears. And with his glasses gone, Everly confirms that he is the drunk driver. He apologizes and starts to cry. Everly lunges and claws at him. He runs. She calls the police and reports the interaction. The detective believes her, and with her description coupled with the man’s habit of leaving flowers, they have a chance to find him. Everly is disappointed in herself. If she had been more careful, he wouldn’t have gotten away.

Mrs. Benedict tells Lilly that 30 more passengers were saved. She checks on Priscilla and seems satisfied with her recovery. The mayor of Onslow is arranging for them to return home the next day. Lilly doesn’t know how to thank the Benedicts for caring for them. Mrs. Benedict says that God sent Lilly, Priscilla, and Madeline to them and that they are honored to be in His service. Mrs. Benedict saved the best news for last: Augusta Longstreet and Adam Forsyth are alive and well. Lilly gasps, shocked that Adam is alive. She feigns that her gasp was concern for his injuries. Lilly claims she’s thankful for their survival. Mrs. Benedict leaves them to pray. Pricilla jumps out of bed, scared that Adam is alive. Lilly grabs her jewelry bag, strokes Madeline’s cheek, and tells Priscilla they need to leave now.

A month after Augusta returns to Savannah, she attends a memorial service for the victims of the Pulaski. Augusta, Lamar, and Charles stand among a huge crowd of mourners. Adam comes up to Augusta and begs her to tell him if she knows where Lilly and Madeline are. Augusta, infuriated, yells that she wouldn’t tell him if she knew. She says Adam beat Lilly and doesn’t deserve any respect. Lamar asks Adam if it is true. He denies it. Adam begs Lamar to help him, but Lamar says no. Lamar, Augusta, and Charles leave as church bells toll, honoring the lives lost. When Augusta, Lamar, and Charles return to the Longstreet home Lamar breaks down into sobs for his wife and children. Charles tries to comfort him and reminds him that at least he is still here, but Lamar doesn’t listen. One day, Charles tells Augusta if she had saved Eliza instead of Thomas there would be another Longstreet child alive. Lamar slaps him. Augusta feels bad for Charles, who hides in his room for a week. She wonders if Charles was right.

On the day of the memorial, Henry arrives in Savannah. Augusta is amazed he returned. Henry promises they will live or die together. He was hospitalized for weeks and took trains instead of risking sea travel. He promises he will never leave her again. At the memorial, Augusta wishes she could watch anonymously instead of from the pews reserved for survivors. After the service, Lamar announces Charles will move to Richmond to live with his aunt Nina. Upset, Charles says Lamar wishes he’d died instead of Thomas. Charles begs to stay in Savannah, but Lamar does not relent.

A month later, Augusta and Henry get married and move to New York. Lamar moves to Virginia and remarries less than a year later. Charles returns to Savannah after he finishes college and takes over some of Lamar’s businesses. There are many lawsuits filed against the Pulaski leading to legal reforms for steamboats. Augusta worries that despite all the changes there is no way to keep people safe from human error.

Everly’s exhibit is nearly complete. She’s frustrated that she can’t include the full names of all the enslaved people aboard the Pulaski in her exhibit, as most are listed only by first names.

Everly goes to an art festival with Sophie and feels like her old self. She wonders if fate is real at all. Sophie says a drunk man was responsible for Mora’s death, not fate. Everly is grateful to talk to a friend other than Oliver and Allyn. She directs the conversation about fate to the Pulaski, noting that fate can either save or ruin people. Everly says enslaved people helped their enslavers but were left to die. They approach the statue of Lilly Forsyth, and Sophie tells Everly that much of history is awful, but people want to ignore it. She says there is “a difference between prejudice and obliviousness but sometimes it can have the same result” (359). Sophie advises Everly to treat the enslaved people with as much humanity as possible, to show them suffering but also surviving, so they become more than a name.

Everly hides her romantic feelings from Oliver. The exhibit, nearly complete, emphasizes not just who and what objects survived the Pulaski but also how surviving changed people. Everly shows Maddox the Longstreet line, tracing Augusta and Charles to Mora. She says everything is a mix of good and bad, and that is what makes people human. Maddox wonders how she would sum up his life. She says she would write about him like a “King of the Sea.” He says his ex-wife would say something different. She blamed him for the death of the student, and it destroyed their marriage. Everly commiserates, and Maddox tells her it doesn’t have to be like that between her and Oliver. The guilt they feel is unnecessary. He sees how much they love each other. Eventually, Everly leaves to meet Oliver and take the boxes of Longstreet papers to the Georgia Historical Society.

Everly and Oliver go to pick up the boxes from her house. Oliver asks if she remembers the day they went to the sandbar, and she blanches. Everly shares that she plans on teaching abroad in France. Oliver asks if leaving will help her, and she shrugs. The detective on Mora’s case calls. They caught the drunk driver. She and Oliver share a sense of peace. They take the boxes to the historical society. They also learn about some MacMillan family artifacts tied to Augusta. Everly looks through them until she finds a piece of paper hidden in a Bible. It is a letter addressed to Augusta from Lilly. She shows it to Oliver, and they start to read it aloud.

It is now 1858. Augusta reads that Charles is smuggling Africans on his yacht, Wanderer, to be enslaved. Augusta and Henry agree that Charles’s actions are horrifying. They don’t know why he has gone down this path. Charles lashes out and hurts others instead of healing. Augusta asks Henry if they would be together if the Pulaski disaster didn’t happen. Henry doesn’t want to entertain the thought. Augusta thinks about Lilly. Adam went mad when she didn’t return and married a very young woman. Convinced her story matters, Augusta thinks about all that she remembered from the Pulaski. She reads a letter she received from Lilly two years after the wreck. Lilly and Priscilla had gone to Michigan. She became a teacher and Priscilla a seamstress. They raised Madeline together, and Lilly eventually remarried. She went to the Seneca Falls convention for women’s suffrage. Augusta returns the letter to the Bible. She begins to write her story of the Pulaski, knowing her story is that of love and survival.

Everly gives a speech at the opening of her exhibit. She tells the story of the Pulaski and its connection to the Wanderer. She introduces the extended Longstreet family, explaining that only seven of the 13 survived. She tells them about Charles and how he changes from the Noble Boy to the Red Devil. Everly asks the crowd to consider the choices they would make. After the speech, Everly enjoys the atmosphere of the evening. But she also thinks about how easily Charles was able to devalue human life.

Harriet, Allyn, and her children congratulate Everly. She heads to a quiet hallway and reviews notes for a second speech that evening. Maddox appears, asking why she’s hiding. Maddox walks her to the exhibit. Everly admires the Pulaski painting hanging above the entrance and heads in. She watches as patrons look through the exhibit, totally rapt. At the lectern, she asks the visitors to consider what happened that night and how the events changed history. She reads from a letter written by Augusta. She shares the parallel between Augusta and Mora. Augusta’s letter ends with: “What do we do with our survival? Now what?” (392). Everly completes her speech, and the room is filled with applause. Maddox, Allyn, and Harriet hug and congratulate her. Oliver joins the group and congratulates Everly. The others leave Oliver and Everly alone. Oliver confesses his love for Everly. Being together isn’t wrong, and they should love each other because of Mora, not despite her. Oliver lists why he loves her, and Everly asks him to go to France with her. He agrees. Everly tells him she loves him. They kiss, and Oliver asks what happens next.