The year is 1756. A mixed heritage man crosses the Hudson River. Born to a former slave and an Indian mother, he has been freed. He travels north. An Indian tribe befriends him. He joins the tribe and eventually marries an Indian woman. The couple's oldest son, Little Owl, grows into a teenager who is a great hunter.

All is peaceful until Little Owl and his friends are kidnapped by Hessian soldiers while out hunting. The boys are taken far to the south and placed in a prison compound. Their fellow prisoners include former slaves who are members of the Continental Army. After months of...