Bigby lives in the afterlife as a giant oak tree. In life, he was an overweight street musician raised by his voodoo queen grandmother and an uncle that took him in after losinig his mother. In the streets of N'Orleans, Bigby learns what it means to have friends and connections, for when his uncle and grandmother mysteriously disappear, Bigby finds he is being looked after by the voodoo community. He is showered with gifts of food, food and more food as he grows up alone in N'Orleans. Becoming overweight through adolescence, Bigby trades up his trumpet playing for the trombone, just to keep the music alive within. After Hurricane Katrina takes Bigby's life, he is left oblivious to the community and following that his voodoo grandmother and Uncle created and is left with the memories of a happy life. Ignorance is more than bliss for Bigby in the afterlife.