When a young woman moves her family to the North Carolina wilderness, she depends on her spiritual fortitude and loving compassion to become the leader her Quaker community desperately needs. In the mid-1700s, Mary Jackson, a lively young Irish wife and mother, undertakes the perilous journey to move to the North Carolina wilderness. She and her husband have a loving, joyful relationship. Life is hard, but also fulfilling as they clear their land, build their home, and raise their growing family. Shortly after they arrive, Mary answers the call to lead the women in her Quaker meeting, a role she struggles to fulfill with sensitive insight and loving care.

Too soon, their peaceful community is shattered when farmers rise in rebellion, demanding an end to local government corruption. Some Quakers are disowned by the meeting when they join the uprising and a large group moves to Georgia, leaving Mary as the only strong voice among the remaining members of her Quaker meeting. Despite her efforts, the women of the meeting can only watch as the rebels become increasingly violent. Negotiations for a peaceful resolution are unsuccessful. The rebellion fails in a bloody battle.

As the drumbeats of the American Revolution reach the Piedmont, the future of the Quaker community rests on Mary's shoulders. Only the strength of her spiritual reserves will ensure her small Quaker meeting survives.