Bartholomew had long dreamed of leaving Delaware. But since the day he was born, he had only known bondage. When Hammond Dudley brings him to Cape May, New Jersey, so the enslaver may recuperate in the restorative qualities of the salt air and Atlantic waters, Bart seizes on the opportunity to win his freedom.

Caleb lives the life of his dreams. A well-heeled young man of a wealthy Philadelphian family, he carouses with an intimate knot of friends and has an ongoing rendezvous with a darling paramour. Between all of that, he finds time to practice law under the tutelage of a prodigious attorney and friend of the family. With less than a year's experience under his belt, Caleb finds himself at the center of a "Personal Liberty Suit" that attracts attention from across the nation while he's trying to enjoy the bathing season in Cape May.

In 1849, the sleepy seaside resort becomes the battlefield for a clash of civilizations and host to a lawsuit set to change the course of history.