It's 1838, and James has made a secret plan to escape Master Grahams farmand slavery. James tells his dog Zeus he has to stay behind: hes simply too noisy to bring along on a dangerous nighttime journey. But when two white men capture James soon after he runs, hes grateful his faithful hunting dog didnt obey. Zeus has followed behind, and the scrappy hound rescues James from his captors. An authors note describes the real life inspiration behind the book: James Smith, a slave who escaped with the help of his dog and went on to become a farmer and Baptist minister.