When Amos first arrives in America, Caleb Copeland, a Quaker weaver, impulsively buys him at the Boston slave market. Caleb and his wife Celia oppose slavery and several times offer Amos his freedom. The Copeland children, especially Roxanna, help Amos overcome his shyness, and he becomes a part of their family. When Caleb Copeland dies, financial considerations force his family to sell Amos to Ichabod Richardson, a tanner. The Richardsons, too, treat Amos relatively well, and Ichabod Richardson eventually promises him freedom in exchange for payments into a trust fund set up for Mrs. Richardson.

When Richardson dies, his wife signs a quitclaim, freeing Amos from the necessity of further payments, and offers him the chance to purchase the tanning business. In Jaffrey, New Hampshire, the Reverend Laban Ainsworth befriends Amos and welcomes the Fortune family to the community, renting them an acre of land for...