The American Revolution is underway, and fiery Jake Mallery wants freedom from tyranny - the tyranny of his strict father, that is. Jake doesn't care about fighting for liberty. To him, the pursuit of happiness is sailing the high seas, seeking adventure on a privateer. But his father insists that Jake remain at home on the Connecticut coast, tending the family's ferry and joining the local militia in case the town is attacked. Which, Jake knows, will never happen. He's destined to a life of boring chores, militia drills, and verbal sparring with Hannah, the insufferable indentured servant of his best friend Tim's family. But on July 4, 1779, Jake's world is turned upside down. The British are coming, and they mean to suppress the Patriot rebellion by any means necessary. The brutal Battle of New Haven sets off a series of horrific events that will shatter Jake's life. And only when he has lost his own freedom does he begin to understand what's at stake in this war.