During the long, hot summer of 1787, delegates from the thirteen states of the United States of America gather in Philadelphia to draft a new constitution to replace the failing Articles of Confederation. John Oliver, a young delegate from Connecticut, is passionate about eliminating slavery within the new nation.

Oliver and his valet, a free black man named Ned Foster, take up residence at Sullivan house for the duration of the constitutional convention. Their host, Sara Sullivan, is smart, beautiful, and mysterious. Even though Sara and John are both recovering from failed relationships, the attraction between them is irresistible.

A short time after Oliver's arrival, Hugh Marlow, a disagreeable delegate from South Carolina, comes to stay at Sullivan House with two slaves in tow. Sara soon realizes that Marlow sexually abuses the young slave girl, Susannah. Trouble ensues when Ned Foster helps Susannah escape her bondage. Marlow is furious. He sends his slave hunters after Ned and Susannah who flee to safety in Canada with the help of Oliver´s Iroquois Confederation friends. Marlow vows to someday get Susannah back and to get revenge on Sara and John.

Although the constitutional convention succeeded in creating a new nation, it failed to address the key issue of slavery. The rifts and acrimony that divided the delegates in the summer of 1787, would continue and worsen during the first turbulent years of the United States. And even as President Washington tries to steer the country clear of European conflicts, those world powers seek to drag the new nation to one side or the other.