When Anne foils Leonhard’s scheme to entrap Slaide's renegade strikers, she finally gains the clout to challenge the scab's abuse at the hands of the union, mill and militia. But as the balance of power teeters and shifts, it tips Leonhard into once unthinkable acts of betrayal against even the closest of his long-time allies. These ripple through the mill and city until they drive the now outcast Slaide to an act of lonesome desperation that may finally bring an end to the strike — though at a cost far beyond what any of them ever imagined.