A recently freed slave strives for her independence and renegotiates her relationship with the white father of her children in the aftermath of the Civil War. Foreclosed homeowners find a literally explosive artifact. Co-workers cope with layoffs and a suicide. A fugitive witch struggles against a fantasy theocracy. A revolutionary tries to save an innocent man and her conscience. A doctor chooses to resist an oppressive regime in a dystopian future. The historical novel And Her Increase and these widely varying stories coalesce around themes of freedom and oppression, choice and desire.