Joe is a German immigrant who arrived in New Orleans when he was a small child. His family owns property in the city, and he has lived his days managing these various rentals.  

Adeline and Joe have been partnered for more than 20 years. When yellow fever descends on the city, this bond is challenged when his brother Louis insists that the two evacuate without her.

“The yellow fever epidemics that swept through New Orleans decimated the resident population, slashed social bonds, and severed business ties. With the specter of contagion looming annually in the early summer, families with sufficient financial means often departed for cooler, healthier climates. For some, however, flight was not an option.”
- Benjamin H. Trask & G.W. Cable