It's 1764, and 15-year-old Polly Moore is running her ne'er-do-well father's tavern in Brunswick, a village on the Cape Fear River in the North Carolina Colony. Her mentally fragile mother is bedridden, so she's also in charge of her two younger sisters, her slaves, and her servants. Like all colonial taverns, The Anchor is the center of village activity. Polly observes everything while she works. Women are not supposed to be political, but she sees how personal politics can be after Lt. Governor William Tryon arrives, the infamous Stamp Act goes into effect, and ships in the river can't unload supplies she desperately needs. She hears of the growing dissatisfaction with King George. She witnesses the first armed pre-Revolution rebellion. Along the way, she forms her own opinions about slavery, freedom, and the treatment of women. People make history. In this meticulously-researched story populated with historical figures, spunky Polly rises to the challenges that confront her and grows wise beyond her years.