Rebecca Throckmorton has been reared by Puritans in England, and thinks she knows all about obedience and faith. In 1631, she travels with her husband and young children to the Massachusetts Bay colony. Aboard the same ship is Roger Williams, the hot-tempered, radical husband of Rebecca's best friend. Upon arrival in the Americas, the Throckmortons and Williams embark on an intellectual journey, exploring liberty of conscience. When the Puritan authorities excommunicate them, these families travel south to establish Providence, Rhode Island, the "freest place on earth." A disastrous attempt to colonize eastern New Netherland with Anne Hutchinson sends the Throckmortons back to Providence. Together, they face threats to the colony including King Phillips War. Although written as fiction, Rebecca's story is built on the genealogy of the Throckmorton family interwoven with the history of New England.