Honor Bright is a sheltered Quaker who has rarely ventured out of 1850s Dorset when she impulsively emigrates to America. Opposed to the slavery that defines and divides the country, she finds her principles tested to the limit when a runaway slave appears at the farm of her new family. In this tough, unsentimental place, where whisky bottles sit alongside quilts, Honor befriends two spirited women who will teach her how to turn ideas into action. "The best thing she's written since Girl with a Pearl Earring." ROSE TREMAIN "A joy." MAGGIE O'FARRELL "Addictively compelling." THE TIMES "Highly recommended." THE INDEPENDENT "A gripping and potent novel which shows Chevalier at the height of her powers." THE EXPRESS "A quietly powerful and gripping novel." THE MAIL