The Derksen family finds itself as refugees in the town of Altona, just outside Hamburg, North Germany, after the Catholic army has announced its intention to level the village of Wuestenfelde, where the Mennonites have received refuge for nearly one hundred years. The Thirty-Years War is raging all around them, with its religious undertones leaving room for power-hungry nobles to extend their lands and wealth. Jacob Derksen's life becomes more and more complicated, as he seeks to steer the Mennonite fortunes and the ever-changing aspects of his family.