Missouri, 1853. (but not the one from History class) Sixteen year-old Kenlee's plan was simple: survive the brutality of the Gore plantation and chop enough wood to buy freedom for herself and her little sister, Sunday. But survival turns bitter when the dead rise, hungry and relentless.
When the Underground Railroad arrives to the rescue, led by the mysterious and fearsome Capt. Moses, Kenlee learns that the road to Freedom isn't a train or road at all. It's a system of portals called the North Star stretching across distant locations. Armed with plasma steampunk weapons and harboring dangerous secrets, the Shepherds of the Underground Railroad are Kenlee's last hope against the zombies and those who still wield the whip.
But the portals to Freedom are failing, catchers are on their trail, and the undead's numbers grow by the hour. As the secrets of the Railroad unfold, Kenlee realizes survival isn't enough. To save Sunday, she must defy every rule shes's ever learned and carve a path out of slavery-and through the horrors waiting at every turn.
Kenlee has spent her life surviving by following the rules-submission, silence, and obedience-but when the dead rise, and survival demands defiance, she must break every rule she's ever learned and fight for a freedom she never dared to imagine.