Everyone calls Will Northaway "Fish," probably because he hangs around the wharves hunting for fish scraps. To round out his diet he steals from street vendors in his Southwark neighborhood in London. People there feel sorry for the boy since he's all alone, and they are willing to put up with his thievery. But then he is caught and falsely accused of a crime. Narrowly escaping prison, Will flees to America where he hopes to find his long-lost father.

After a dangerous sea journey, Will begins a new life in Boston as a printer's apprentice. He finds a home, but times are hard in Boston. While men like Sam Adams and Paul Revere debate politics, freedom, and liberty, men like Ebenezer Mackintosh fan the flames of agitation and lawlessness. Will's search for his father takes him into the heart of a violent mob, and he has to face the consequences-and his own resistance to God's grace.