The year is 1775, the drums of revolution are rumbling over war with Britain. Cromwell Stone becomes a reluctant slave owner after his loyalist father-in law purchases Abasi and his family for their failing sailmaking business. With his Yale-educated sons aligned to the colonial cause, Cromwell is caught between divided family sentiment over both the issue of succession and slavery. Set in the southern-most tip of Manhattan, the fast-moving events sweep Cromwell from a life of political apathy to terrorism against his own people. Based in years of historical research, this novel intertwines actual and fictional characters to explain the occurrences that lead to the burning of a third of Manhattan.