The war between the North and the South takes hold on the "Freeman." As the Fitzgerald family struggles to make it through the winter of 1862-63 after a poor year of boating on the C&O Canal, the Civil War draws closer to being fought about the "Freeman." George Fitzgerald's unexpected return from the battles of the Civil War pits him against David Windover, an ex-Confederate spy, who now works and lives with the Fitzgeralds. Alice Fitzgerald struggles to hold her family together as a vindictive sheriff and a haughty doctor's wife work to tear them apart. Tony, the street urchin from Cumberland, has found a life aboard the "Freeman," but Sheriff Lee Whittaker has other ideas for the ex-thief. Elizabeth is growing older and finding herself torn between the canal and becoming a lady. Together, the Fitzgeralds have met every obstacle, but how will they fare if the divisive forces around them separate them?