Sam is an African American former pilot living in the Delany, a new country formed as a condition of truce after of the civil war that ended in a stalemate. After the United States revoked it's support of Delayny, Sam travelled to the Grand Conferacy, which used to be the southern United States before the War of Succession. Sam travels to the Grand Confederacy in order to find Benjamin, an enslaved engineer who is being forced to craft airships to the benefit of the grand confederacy so he can be freed and see his family again. Sam finds Benjamin and tries to convince him to escape with him. Benjamin insistts that he is not ready to escape, so Sam leaves without him. Months later, Benjamin is able to escape on his own. He makes it to Delany, but narrowly avoids being assassinated at the same time an important government building of Delany is attacked by terrorists. Benjamin's would be assassins were sent by his old master, Jensen, and the terrorists were from the grand confederacy. This was the begining of an attempt to wipe out Delany by the grand confedercy, which will not accept a nation of independant African Americans. At first, the grand confederacy is destroying Delany, as Delany is much smaller. But Benjamin creates a super powerful weapon powered by magnets that the confederacy cannot defeat. Sam assaasinates Jensen using one of these weapons, who had become a general in the grand confederacy's army.