My Brother's Cry

The full force of the Civil War hasn't yet reached Fremont, Missouri, but it's coming. Slaveholders know that they need slaves to make a living. Abolitionists know that it's morally wrong to buy, sell, and enslave human beings. Runaway slaves and the Underground Railroad complicate things and bring conflict between slave owners and Abolitionists: even in Missouri. To their owners, slaves in Missouri are still property, just as animals are. Many people think differently. A slave auction is a life-changing event for Amanda Leah, who has strong anti-slavery feelings. The ferocity of a civil war battle and its aftermath is a life-changing event for Eli, a slave owner from Virginia. When will it all end? As Wyley, a house slave, says: "When de day o' mercy come." And that day does come...in different ways for different people.