Homer’s story is a quest for freedom, not only for his brother and escaped enslaved people but for himself. During his adventure, Homer must many times wriggle out of imprisonment before he can continue his journey.

Homer’s young years are spent under the thumb of his cruel uncle Squinton. Homer and his brother Harold slave away for Squint, receive little food, enjoy no comforts, and get locked away at night. When Harold is kidnapped and sent to war, Homer wants nothing more than to free him. First, though, he must escape from the root cellar in which he has been locked, then steal a horse and run away from Squint’s control.

Homer promptly gets kidnapped by bounty hunters Stink and Smelt, who force him to gather intelligence on the whereabouts of the Underground Railroad runaways. During this process, Homer meets Mr. Brewster and Samuel Reed of the Underground Railroad and sees runaway enslaved people escaping to freedom. This reminds Homer of his own predicaments, and he sympathizes with the escapees and wants to help them. Homer saves Samuel’s life, and Samuel returns the favor, as he and Mr. Brewster help Homer free himself from the bounty hunters.