Pre-Civil War days, with a setting shifting from North Carolina to Indiana and to Kansas, and with the focus on the endeavors of the Quakers to bring about abolition without bloodshed. It is another facet of the mid 19th century America -- and a contribution to a rather slim literature of the Quakers contribution. At the close Jonathan gives his life for the cause, when he is killed because of chance resemblance to Governor Reeder. There is no lightness of touch -- it is a sober-paced tale. But it has its moments.