Edward and Simon watch the huge Yankee fleet move up the river, headed for Richmond. They stare in disbelief as some of the troop-filled vessels land and Yankee soldiers swarm onto the plantation. Twelve-year-old Edward races to the house to find his family frantically packing to flee from their home. In confusion, Edward's servant, Simon, who is also his friend, disappears before the carriage leaves for nearby Petersburg. While Edward experiences the terrors of war in a southern city under siege, Simon lives with loneliness. Having fled with the Union army, he works to earn his keep; faces loss, danger, and hostility; and wonders if he'll ever find a place where he belongs. Worlds apart, both boys struggle to understand the meaning of courage and freedom.