1730: As a French settlement perches precariously on the high bluffs above the Mississippi River near the ceremonial heart of the fading Natchez Indian empire, French soldiers have foolishly demanded too much from their Natchez allies and turned their friendship into deadly hatred. When war erupts, 17-year old Jaimie Cooper finds his parents are gone and Camille Gaillard, daughter of a French noble family, is being held captive by the Choctaw. Before she can be sold to the highest bidder, Jaimie and Spotted Serpent rescue her. Then Jaimie and Camille must navigate through Indian lands alone until they meet Two Bears, an Indian trader and runaway slave, who guides them to the Atlantic Ocean and colorful Charles Town. From Charles Town, Camille's search for her family takes her to Paris, Versailles and Brittany where she experiences both the grandeur and hypocrisy of the nobility, all while longing to see Jaimie again. Jaimie's efforts to take his inheritance land him on the deck of a sailing ship manned by slaves where he learns the humanity of his crew as they work together, sailing from Charles Town to London, Africa and then France to rescue Camille again...if those in pursuit of his ship don't find her first.