Eleven-year-old Elijah lives in Buxton, Canada, a settlement of runawayslaves near the American border. Elijah's the first child in town to beborn free, and he ought to be famous just for that -- not to mention forbeing the best at chunking rocks and catching fish. Unfortunately, allthat most people see is a "fragile" boy who's scared of snakes andtends to talk too much. But everything changes when a former slavesteals money from Elijah's friend, who has been saving to buy his familyout of captivity in the South. Now it's up to Elijah to track down thethief -- and his dangerous journey just might make a hero out of him, ifonly he can find the courage to get back home.