Thomas Sweetwater, son of Daniel Sweetwater from Book 1 and a student at a Christian university, chooses a course that sweeps him into a history-shaping controversy. A family of runaway slaves is hiding in his Ohio River town and Thomas must figure out how to help them escape to freedom before their whereabouts are discovered. Thomas' church is engaged in a vigorous debate over the merits of Charles Darwin's ideas recently published in his book, On the Origin of Species. Meanwhile, Nate Baldridge, the owner a steamboat named The Beagle's Wake, is an outspoken, pro-slavery member in Thomas' church and also a proponent of Darwinism. Nate is on a one-man mission to find the runaways, ship them back to the owners, and prove to the church that slavery, Darwinism, and the Bible are in perfect agreement. Thomas decides to lead the debate against Nate, and finds himself in a deadly controversy that not only divides his church, but threatens his life and the lives of the slaves he is seeking so desperately to protect.

Peter O'Donnell, son of Mary Muhlenberg from Book 2, finds that life on a railroad gang is filled with danger and opportunity. As railroad companies rush to join east and west by rail, Chinese workers, black freedmen, Hispanics, Native Americans and white men live, work and brawl together at their railroad camp in Utah. Soon Peter uncovers a treacherous plot among this lawless mix of souls and must decide how he will respond.

Joe Waters, son of Thomas Sweetwater from Book 3, has changed his name and is trying to forget his Native American heritage. When his parents died, Joe convinced Lilly, his twin sister to move east. They live together in a small apartment in the town of Homestead, Pennsylvania. He works at a local foundry and Lilly waits on tables in the tavern downstairs from their apartment. Homestead is just up river from Pittsburgh, a small but growing steel town. Joe meets Andrew Carnegie and strives to become an industrialist before rediscovering the real values of family and biblical truth.

Megan O'Donnell, daughter of Peter O'Donnell from Book 4, moves from the family ranch in Colorado to New York City to finish her education. But shortly after arriving, Megan falls victim to a con man and loses her education money. Hindered by pride and faced with homelessness, Megan finds a job in a sweat shop where she is forced to work in deplorable conditions and confronted with an unexpected prejudice toward her Irish roots. After the shop where she works is destroyed by a fire, Megan and a friend lead a protest for new laws to protect the exploited workers.

James Sweetwater is the brother of Joshua Sweetwater from Book 3 of the Freedom Series. He lives with his grandfather Daniel, from Book 1 of the Discovery Series, in Washington, DC and works for The Evening Star newspaper. The newspaper's headlines boast of US victories in the Philippines, Cuba and Puerto Rico, the Samoan Treaty, US colonialism in the South Seas. James struggles to find his own sense of self-respect in a world dominated by boisterous, opinionated and political figures in the halls of freedom. As a Native American living in the emerging shadow of the world's most powerful nation, James rediscovers his family heritage and the simple things which really matter.