New Castle, the plantation home of the influential Richards family, is hurtling toward a cataclysm. It sizzles beneath the early spring heat, bubbling over with anger, resentment and the desires of the influential family, who tread uncaringly on the needs of others. Wilbur, the tyrannical leader who refuses to accept failure in any form, rules over New Castle with an iron hand, while unknowingly being manipulated by Agatha, his vain and self-absorbed wife. Edward, their entitled son, has everything he could want, except for the one thing that he desperately needs, love. Noah, one of his father's slaves and the closest thing to a friend Edward has, desperately wants to become his manservant to escape the fields, while Ruth, another slave, is torn between her dreams of both Edward's and Noah's affection.With the sound of a bell, their lives will be forever altered. As Agatha manipulates and Wilbur rules, Edward is sent away and discovers too late the meaning of friendship.Will Ruth and Noah's dreams stand any chance of becoming a reality? And what will happen when Edward returns, seeking the revenge that is burning within him?