Mayflower passengers Dorothy Bradford and Desire Minter discover a plot to sabotage their future colony in New England. When they attempt to warn the Governor they are attacked and discredited by the saboteur, a well-respected man. The two women must take matters into their own hands to protect the congregation. Dorothy has more to lose than most. Only when their plantation is safely established will her husband, William, send for their four-year-old son left behind in Holland. Desire, relying on the church to arrange her marriage, is hesitant to challenge the social mores. At a critical juncture she must decide whether to appease the Church or assert her fledgling powers of self-determination. Their struggles are magnified by a perilous Atlantic crossing and the dangers that await them in the New World.