Sixteen year-old Lily has experienced more than her share of heartbreak and loss. Her mother died when she was only five. Her older brother cut all his ties to the family and moved West. Her father is gone for months at a time, participating in a clever ruse concocted to help free slaves from the South. Nevertheless Lily manages to cling to a vague semblance of family life. After her father's unexpected death, Lily must come to terms with a potentially life-changing decision. Torn between the life she's always known and the danger of the one she strongly believes in, Lily summons up the courage and the bravery to keep her father's legacy alive. Lily prepares in secret to flee her home and travel to the Blue Woods Plantation in the Deep South. Disguised as a tutor for the owner's children, she is shocked at the treatment the slaves receive. As she gets to know the slaves, Lily becomes more determined than ever to help them escape. But after a situation causes Lily to reveal her true identity, her plans are thwarted, and she finds her own life at risk. Will she be able to fulfill her mission before it's too late?