Imprisonment, pregnancy, death. These are the difficulties facing Rachel Palsgrove and her teamster confidant, Jesse Quinter. During the winter of 1777-1778, British troops luxuriate in Philadelphia while General George Washington's soldiers starve and freeze at Valley Forge. Rachel lives at Hopewell Village, an iron-making community supporting the Patriots. She scorns the traditional women's roles of wife and mother and would rather shovel out a stall than clean a house. Her dreams of becoming a teacher are dashed when the trustees at the University in Philadelphia won't admit a woman to their all-male society. A barrister at her boardinghouse, British spy Edmund Morris, helps her appeal the University's decision while hoping to glean intelligence about Hopewell's treasonous activities. Rachel and Jesse race to the village to warn of a possible inspection by British troops that could jeopardize everything. Will they survive imprisonment, pregnancy, and death? Will Rachel achieve her dream?