Born into slavery in the U.S. before the Revolutionary War, young Richard Allen believes he faces a hopeless future. But after becoming a Christian as a young man and then seeing his master also come to faith, Allen buys his freedom. As a free man, he serves God first as a circuit-riding preacher and then as a pastor in Philadelphia. Even so, he cannot completely leave the injustice of his past behind. When the White senior pastor tells Allen and other Black congregants to “know their place”—which is in the balcony, away from White parishioners—Reverend Allen must make a decision: How will he stand up for his people? When an epidemic strikes Philadelphia, will he risk his own life to help those who treated him as a second-class citizen?