This film, based in part on historical events, tells the story of Martha, a young African American woman sold into slavery in 1856 to work and live at the Shawnee Mission Indian School in Territorial Kansas. Thinking there were no enslaved people in Kansas, and that she would soon be set free, Martha travels from Missouri to her new home at the school. She soon finds out things are much different than she thought. Martha is confronted with the culturalization of Native American children and is witness to early skirmishes in Kansas which ultimately lead to Civil War. Romance, friendship, and defiance all come together for a dramatic conclusion to this powerful story from the American frontier.