Betrayed by a neighbouring king, and transported from Africa to the West Indies on a plague-ridden slave ship to be sold to Danish planters on the island of St. John, Raisha and the young chief she is to marry find themselves in a frighteningly brutal new world.

Whereas Raisha tries to make life as tolerable as possible by cooperating with her master and mistress, Konje joins the band of runaways holding out on a remote promontory of the island. But the planters’ reaction to the revolt is unremittingly harsh.

Knowing she risks torture and maiming, Raisha contrives to help the man she loves and eventually runs away to join him. But in a dramatic climax to this powerful and tragic story, the slaves have only one awful choice if they are to retain their freedom.