In the late 1700s, determinedly independent Suzanna Torriano arrives on St. John's Island as an amateur botanist and the new governor's mistress. But Suzanna is soon caught between two worlds-the colonial pressures from Britain that are at odds with the freedoms and progress of the Island's many inhabitants. Suzanna is called to social action, and the stakes are high. When Freelove, a pregnant enslaved woman, is accused of stealing from her master and sentenced to death, Suzanna rallies support from unexpected places. From Acadian healer Pierre Gallant to the local Quakers to Scottish laird Ian MacDonald, the growing community attempts to expose Governor Patterson's failures, challenge land right disputes, and advocate for all enslaved people's emancipation.

Through the lives of various characters, Bound navigates the challenges and triumphs of settler life. Will colonial greed win, or will the Island's diverse inhabitants succeed in laying the groundwork for a fair new world?