When Joseph Byers tumbles down a steep riverbank and is almost drowned, he discovers a cave that becomes a refuge for him and his friends, Zachary and David. Here they can escape the bitter divisions in their small town of Branson Mills, Kentucky. The nation is on the brink of Civil War, and in Branson Mills, most people favor the South. But Joseph's new stepfather, Henry Byers, is an abolitionist, and his stand against slavery causes trouble for...