A young slave stitches a quilt with a map pattern which guides her to freedom in the North.

In 1847 St. Louis, Missouri, when a new law against educating African Americans forces Reverend John to close his school, he finds an ingenious solution to the new state law by moving his school to a steamboat in the Mississippi River. Includes author's note on Reverend John Berry Meachum, a minister, entrepreneur, and educator who fought tirelessly for the rights of African Americans.

The daughter of a slave forms a gospel singing group and goes on tour to raise money to save Fisk University.