Sin No More

Historical Context
“As Haiti headed down the perilous path toward elections in 1987, violence erupted from the Ton tons Macoute and from the Army, both of which felt threatened by the prospect of popular empowerment.” —Amy Wilentz The Rainy Season

Description
A young pediatrician, Dr. Frank Tupelo, and his bride, Tina, a nurse, go to a small Bahamian island where they work in a free clinic that cares for Haitian immigrants who have fled the oppressive regime of Jean Claude Duvalier, dictator of Haiti.

Carlos, orphaned at age fifteen joined Jean Claude Duvalier’s paramilitary wing known as the Tonton Macoute. He is physically imposing and ruthless and quickly rises in the ranks of the paramilitary. He participated atrocities, often against innocent Haitians believed to be enemies of Jean Claude Duvalier.

Carlos who was raised in the Catholic faith, falls in love with Maria, a young upper-class Haitian woman. She introduces him to Father Aristide, a proponent of liberation theology, who inspires Carlos to acknowledge his sinfulness and resolves to sin no more.