It’s 1860, and the winds of war stir across a divided America. On a Southern plantation gripped by drought and desperation, Bali—a field slave with dreams of freedom—learns that his enslaver, Jacob, plans to sell Bali’s young daughter, Emala, to recoup his mounting losses. With the weight of generations on his shoulders and the fire of hope in his heart, Bali resolves to escape with Emala under cover of night.
 

But not everyone believes in freedom’s promise.
 

Dembi, a house slave who raised Emala after her mother was sold, has spent seven years shielding the child from harm. Hardened by loss and resigned to survival, Dembi dismisses the Underground Railroad as myth and sees escape as a death sentence. She fears Emala—frail and tender—won’t survive the perilous journey. For Dembi, the familiar chains of oppression feel safer than the unknown.
 

One night, as actions of escape ripple through the dark, Jacob overhears Bali and Dembi arguing after they rescue Emala from her new enslaver. Suspicion ignites into fury, and violence erupts. With Jacob’s wrath unleashed and his mistress now under scrutiny, Dembi is forced to make a choice: stay and face punishment—or flee with Bali and Emala into the night.
 

Their journey begins with trembling steps and voices lifted in song. Guided by the haunting beauty of Negro spirituals, they seek the hidden path to freedom. But the road is treacherous, and time is short.

Will Dembi find the courage to believe in a freedom she’s never known? Can Bali protect his daughter and lead them to safety? Or will Jacob’s vengeance drag them back into the shadows of servitude?