In 1846 New York six months after the formation of the NYPD, officer Timothy Wilde investigates a ring of "blackbirders" who kidnap free people of color in the North and sell them to Southern plantations.
Reluctantly embroiled in a 1840s dispute between a corrupt Tammany Hall leader and an arsonist with an agenda, Copper Star Timothy Wilde finds his investigation challenged by his brother's decision to run for public office.