Abena is a rebellious Ashanti girl sold into slavery on the notorious Transatlantic route from West Africa to Jamaica. Mungo is an English orphan who becomes a cabin boy, only to be kidnapped and sold as a white slave. Fate brings the two together and Mungo, risking life and limb, saves Abena from a terrible death. Together they escape and set out towards the Blue Mountains - where rumours tell of a stronghold of runaway slaves ruled by a legendary leader called Nanny. But can Abena and Mungo slip through the hordes of Redcoats and baying bloodhounds sent to drag them back.' Based on historical events, the novel unflinchingly describes the conditions of black and also white slavery in the 18th century, when profits took precedence over human life, and ends on a strong note of hope.