Rather than live under the mores of the Antebellum South, John and Abigail Whitmore sell everything they own, turn their backs on their families, and flee from 1840s Mississippi to the free North. After settling near Weston, Missouri, they soon learn that blacks are not allowed to marry, hold office, read and write, own property, or shoot firearms. Committed to the area, they remain and establish their plantation, Lime Spring. After freeing their childhood friends, Asa and Netty, and all the blacks at Lime Spring, John and Abigail begin teaching the former slaves all they need to know to be free and stay free. But if their efforts are discovered, the young couple will be in grave danger of being destroyed by abolitionists and pro-slavery proponents. As they work to make Lime Spring a success and continue to harbor their secret, a jealous neighbor sets out on a vengeful journey as hate, bigotry, and injustice reach a climax and threaten the future of America. Lime Spring is a blistering tale of romance, tragedy, and danger as a young couple helps blacks on their plantation escape slavery during the years leading to the start of the Civil War.