Louisiana, 1843: a German immigrant thinks she recognizes a young slave girl as the long-lost daughter of her German friend, but the girl has no memory of such a past, and her owner refuses to free her. The dramatic trial offers an eye into the fascinating laws and customs surrounding slavery, immigration, and racial mixing, pitting a humble community of German immigrants against a hardened capitalist, as respected for his wealth and power as he is feared and distrusted, and his attorney, one of the brashest and most flamboyant lawyers of his time.