Life in slave times is hard. Kind of hard aiming to break a man. Got to hide a lot inside where master and overseer cain't see. Even then you ain't safe. Got no salvation except family and friends. No telling if they be gone tomorrow, sold off like they ain't nothing but a hog or mule. I done what I can to keep my family and friends from harm. Done a thing that stain my soul. Some days now seem like a gift. Some feel like a curse. Mostly the feeling come evenings. Look across a field, see the sun go down. Feel like part of me be sinking with it. A part it hurt to remember. Part I cain't let go. Thomas, Mississippi, 1858. On a Mississippi cotton plantation in 1858, Thomas is a slave haunted by the sale of each of his sons and fearful of what will become of his only daughter. Resigned to living within the harsh restrictions of slavery, Thomas hopes that following the rules will keep life from getting worse. But when a slave comes courting from a neighboring plantation and refuses to leave when the overseer Fitch tells him to go, Thomas tries to prevent Fitch from killing the visitor. This triggers a series of events that break up Thomas's family and lead him to stop Fitch from killing another slave, Lias, who is angry about Fitch raping his wife. Thomas's dreams have hinted and warned of things to come but now he finds himself on a course he never dreamed or imagined. After a life ruled by the decisions of his owners, Thomas must choose for himself, knowing that the lives of his friends are in his hands.