Inspired by the legend of Shields 'Emperor' Green, a descendant of African kings turned outlaw slave in the pre-Civil War South. Seeking freedom for his family, Emperor fights his way north, joining the daring raid on Harper's Ferry and helping alter the course of American history.

Hamish Bond is a plantation owner who has a secret past of slave trading. Rau-ru is a freedom-yearning slave who has been raised as a son by Bond. Amantha Starr is a fiery belle who goes on the auction block when her part-African heritage is revealed -- and is sold to Bond. She loathes Bond at first but is eventually won over.

A universal story of loss, courage and triumph, this recounts the extraordinary journey of Aminata Diallo, an indomitable African woman who survives in a world in which everything seems to be against her. Kidnapped by slave traders in West Africa then sold into slavery in South Carolina, Aminata navigates her way through the American Revolution in New York, the isolated refuge of Nova Scotia, and the treacherous jungles of Sierra Leone, before finally...