As a slave, Isabel finds herself caught up in the middle of a bitter struggle between Loyalists and Patriots. The Revolutionary War affects everyone, even those not actively participating in the conflict. In such an environment, it becomes impossible to avoid taking sides, as Isabel soon discovers. Given her status as a slave, Isabel's prime consideration in choosing which side to support is the question of who will set her free.

Throughout the course of the book, Isabel flits back and forth between the two sides, sometimes helping the Loyalists, at other times offering support to the Patriots. The Loyalists seem like the right side to follow, as they're the ones—in the shape of Lady Seymour—who feed her and treat her with kindness.

Nevertheless, however kind Lady Seymour may be toward her, Isabel is still her slave, and she wonders whether she might not be better off if the Patriots win instead. After all, the Patriots talk a lot about liberty, and that's what Isabel wants most of all. She's taken the Patriots' language of liberty at face value and comes to believe (for a time) that, should they prevail in the conflict, they'll set her free once the war is over.

Sadly, however, Isabel ends up being thoroughly disillusioned by both sides, each of whom use her for information only to cast her aside when she's no further use. This experience opens up Isabel's eyes to the harsh reality that, if she's going to achieve freedom, she's going to have to do it for herself and not rely on either Loyalists or Patriots.