Johnnie Wise's grandmother, Josephine Baptiste, at age sixteen, has just been promised in marriage to the heir-apparent to the throne of Nigeria. A life of riches and royalty may appeal to some girls her age, but she's not about to enter a loveless union with someone old enough to be her father. Especially since she’s in love with his much younger brother…

The night before the marriage is set to take place, she and her lover decide to take a chance on their romance and flee. Their freedom is short-lived, however, when they’re captured by Dutch slave traders and taken aboard a ship about to sail to the Americas. Landing in Santa Domingo, they’re sold together to a wealthy plantation owner as they prepare to embark on a life of servitude. But how long will they suffer their new state before they try to escape? And will their love survive lust, lies and power struggles in their New World?