Lydia Redmond and her granddaughter, Sarah Redmond, two Black Loyalist women are evacuees during the American Revolution. Their journey out of slavery in South Carolina takes them to Birchtown, Nova Scotia, The first all Black community in North America. Their desperate struggle to build a life in, a cold, wretched place filled with injustice and poverty is endless. Lydia tries to fit the left-over pieces of her slave past back together before she dies by delving into long held secrets that threaten her safety and life. Her granddaughter, Sarah, must adjust to her new life while overcoming many difficulties to establish herself as a free person on her journey into womanhood. Happiness is a rare commodity, but possible, As Sarah struggles to bring meaning and joy to her life.