SYNOPSIS: A successful Massachusetts lawyer in civilian life, has just been promoted to Major General and is given command of Fort Monroe, a Union hold-out in the state of Virginia. The Fort, situated in a highly strategic location between North and South, was considered by Confederate General Robert E. Lee to be a great threat to Richmond, a center of Confederate strength. By the time Butler assumed command, he was thrust into the thick of things and was already considered by his superiors to be a prickly individual who had a tendency to bend orders and to over-step authority. It is this independence of spirit that ultimately leads to the explosive situation that becomes the central event of the play. The catalyst that sets these events in motion is the unexpected appearance of Shepard Mallory, a run-away slave, who requests sanctuary at the fort. However, the law of the land at the time has not yet changed and slaves are still considered property that must be turned over to their "rightful owners". This is tantamount to a death-sentence and Butler is confronted with a daunting moral dilemma.