The year is 1792, and although American independence has been secured, individual freedoms are still elusive for many. Adam Eckfeldt is an apprentice to his father's blacksmith business. For his father Jacob, there is no question the young man will someday replace him, but Adam has other aspirations. The Eckfeldt family slave has his own dreams. Christian yearns for emancipation. This yearning only increases when he falls in love with Ona Judge, maid to Lady Martha Washington. In post-revolutionary Philadelphia, Adam and Christian must forge the pathway to their dreams. These friends navigate the unfamiliar territory of the early abolitionist movement as well as the ins and outs of the Washington household. Their unlikely friendship and their loyalties are tested as they each face dilemmas that will alter the course of their young lives.