It starts in 1844 in Maryland, where Blake Cantrell, plantation owner with slaves, is forced by debts to sell his estate and his people. Then he leaves for Cumberland, looking for a job (first time in his life), and ends up working for a stagecoach line run by Boss Starkey and owned by Susan Griffith. Before love and friendship can triumph, Cantrell will have to commit to the cause of African-Americans in search of freedom.