Jumping Off to Freedom delivers a gripping and intense narrative, unraveling life under Cuba's oppressive communist regime and chronicling the bold escape of four individuals to America. At the heart of the novel is David, who finds himself trapped in a suffocating jail cell, accused of a crime he barely knows—the slaughter of a state-owned cow. Although his involvement is minimal, this shadow of suspicion ensures that government scrutiny will shadow him indefinitely, with the specter of imprisonment looming large over every misstep.

The relentless threat hanging over David, paired with the wretched conditions endured by his family, spurs his father, Miguel, to a daring plan. He resolves to craft a vessel that will carry him and his son across the treacherous waters to Florida, where he dreams of a future free from fear, and the hope of one day reuniting with his wife and daughter left behind in Cuba. The fear that permeates daily existence is so overwhelming that others, also desperate for freedom, plead to join their perilous journey. The boat, burdened with the weight of desperate souls, risks capsizing under its load. In Cuban slang, "jumping off" embodies the audacity of "casting off on raft voyages" to flee. As the story unfolds, it transforms into a heart-pounding thriller, with David and his companions evading vigilant patrols, confronting relentless sharks, battling through a savage storm, and facing nature's harshest trials. This ordeal strips them bare, exposing their core selves, driving one to the brink of madness, while revealing David's latent resilience and the foreboding strength of the enigmatic Toro.