Arthur Buchanan returns to Mason County, Kentucky, an idealistic young man who has just inherited the Lanark Plantation. His arrival is eagerly anticipated by the household servants, his brutal mother, "Missus" Anna, who is angry that Buck left Lanark to their son, and Samson, his close childhood friend and slave whom he has not spoken to in over a decade. When Arthur invites Samson to move into the Lanark home as a houseslave, it draws ire and curiosity from all sides. Arthur's mother plots for her son to take a wife, but the two men find themselves unable to control their feelings for each other, despite the incredible risks and the deep disparities in their power and station. The young master and his slave embark upon a clandestine relationship, hidden from everyone, lest their taboo connection cause unimaginable repercussions. Can love flourish under the extreme imbalance and dehumanizing conditions of slavery? Warning: contains highly charged racial imagery and language that cannot be avoided in a work of this nature.