On the Mississippi River, indentured servant Fanny Beck has been forced to sing for riverboat passengers since she was a girl. As her contract comes to an end, she discovers that the captain has no intention of releasing her. An impulse leads Fanny to a group of enslaved people who are on their own dangerous quest for liberty. When Fanny is presumed drowned, Sloan Kirkpatrick, the riverboat's captain, sets off to find her replacement. His journey will bring him face to face with his own past-- and a deeper understanding of what it truly means to be free. In Elkhart, Indiana, widower Walter Kuhn is overwhelmed by his responsibilities to his farm and young daughter, and now his mail-order bride hasn't arrived. Could a stranger seeking work be the answer to his prayers? -- adapted from back cover and perusal of book