Focusing on these five women, Mary Elise Antoine explores the history of slavery in the Upper Mississippi River Valley, relying on legal documents, military records, court transcripts, and personal correspondence. Whether through perseverance, self-purchase, or freedom suits--including one suit that was used as precedent in Dred and Harriet Scott's freedom suits years later--each of these women ultimately secured her freedom, thanks in part to the bonds they forged with one another.