With the events of the past year freshly engraved in his mind, Jacob Murray lies in wait, just a stone's throw from a French outpost in the midst of the western Pennsylvania wilderness. Having teamed up with the two young men who helped his wife escape her Huron captors, he waits for any sign of Maggie or the French merchant who purchased her. A straightforward plan for ambush soon goes awry and Jacob and Joshua are separated from Maggie and One-Ear; the latter pair heads towards Canada, the former for Fort Duquesne. While Maggie's efforts to escape and avoid French captivity lead to unexpected encounters with the native tribes of New York and Canada, including the great Ottawa leader Pontiac, Jacob himself is taken captive by the French. With Joshua's help, he is able to escape, but life as a deserter is very dangerous, especially when the British army is amassing nearby under the watchful eye of Major General Edward Braddock. Jacob and Maggie Murray long for their peaceful life on the homestead in Pennsylvania, but with two great countries and their native allies battling over the Ohio Valley, their wishes must remain ungranted...at least for now."