After the recent death of his father from cancer, nineteen-year-old Zack Mercury is living at home with his mother in a small town in East Tennessee. Distraught and fearing he might spend the rest of his life in Deep Elem, he sets off alone to find with no destination in mind, ending up at the Peabody Hotel in Memphis where the five famous ducks have paraded up and down the red carpet to the Peabody fountain twice daily for the last eighty years.
In an instance of "love at first sight," Zack falls for the front desk clerk, Prudy, a young Black woman who is equally restless. Enraptured by Prudy, the elegance of the "South's Grand Hotel," and the ceremonial "Duck March," Zack impulsively decides to stay in Memphis and attempts to win Prudy's heart.
Seeking a new life in a city where he knows no one, he learns that you are not only judged by the people you associate with but also by not having any friends at all. Exploring issues with impulsivity, alcohol, and the nuances of an interracial relationship, Free and Satisfied is a coming-of-age story for those who are also exploring and for those who have been there.