Kansas in 1857: Here, in the Midwest of the USA, lives the young slave Henry Shackleford. The war between staunch slaveholders and Bible-believing abolitionists rages particularly fiercely here. John Brown is one of those driven to enforce God's will and lead the Black people to freedom. When he unexpectedly encounters Henry's cruel master—a widely known and notorious slaveholder—in a tavern, a violent confrontation ensues, forcing both to flee: John Brown and the young Henry, who is mistakenly taken for a girl and quickly realizes that this has its advantages.