Abby is a beautiful biracial slave living on a plantation in Mason, Georgia. She pretends to be a slow-witted mute, a ruse suggested by her owner as a means of protection from her white grandfather, who seeks to kill her. She dreams of two things: safety and freedom. A further scheme to keep her safe brings her in contact with wealthy, handsome Lawrence Mallory, who has impulsively married a beautiful woman only to find she suffers from a violent mental illness. Lawrence soon learns Abby is more than she appears to be, and an attraction grows between the two. When Lawrence's wife dies, he goes away for several years, leaving Abby bereft. Returning home at last, he is prepared to ask the woman he loves to marry him despite the odds against them as an interracial couple, but a terrible misunderstanding separates them. Will their love remain in the shadows forever?