Jed Harker wishes for nothing more than to mind his own business while traveling north to Kansas. In the summer of 1861, though, men and women were taking sides all across the United States, and Harker finds himself compelled to declare where he stands on slavery. The result is that he finds himself fleeing through the Indian Nations, helping a family of escaping slaves to freedom. With war about to break out, it will be a race against time for Harker and his wards, as they become embroiled in the opening shots of the War Between the States.