<p><strong>The war between the North and the South takes hold on the Freeman.&nbsp;</strong></p><p>As the Fitzgeralds struggle to make it through the winter of 1862-1863 after a poor year of boating on the C'O Canal, the Civil War draws ever closer to being fought aboard the Freeman. George Fitzgerald&rsquo;s unexpected return from the battles of the Civil War pits him against David Windover, an ex-Confederate spy, who now works and lives with the Fitzgeralds.&nbsp;<br />
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Alice Fitzgerald struggles to hold her family together as a vindictive sheriff and a haughty doctor&rsquo;s wife work to tear them apart. Tony, the street urchin from Cumberland, has found a life aboard the Freeman, but Sheriff Lee Whittaker has other ideas for the ex-thief. Elizabeth is growing older and finding herself torn between the canal and becoming a lady.&nbsp;<br />
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Together, the Fitzgeralds have met every obstacle, but how will they fare if the divisive forces around them separate them?</p>