Kate Nicholson, the last living member of her family, finds herself sole owner of a large cotton plantation, complete with slaves. She was brought up on a homestead on the frontier, miles from civilization, and finds the idea of slave ownership reprehensible. Her sense of responsibility compels her to face head on the irony of her position. Struggling with her new role as slave-owner, she alienates most of the local townspeople because of her advocacy for decent treatment of her slaves. As she learns to run her newly inherited cotton plantation, she discovers just how much her presence interferes with someone's plans, and to what lengths they will go to get her out of the way.