The story of Eliza Lucas Pinckney, who ran her father's plantation outside Charleston, South Carolina in the 1700s and struck a bargain with the plantation's slaves--teach her how to make indigo and she would teach them to read.

"In 1739, Eliza Lucas is sixteen years old when her father leaves her in charge of their family's three plantations in South Carolina, then proceeds to bleed the estates dry in pursuit of his military ambitions. Her mother wants nothing more than for their South Carolina endeavor to fail so they can go back to England. Her family is in danger of losing everything. Hearing how much the French pay for indigo dye, Eliza believes it's their salvation. But thwarted at every turn, even by her family, Eliza finds her only allies in an aging horticulturalist, a lawyer, and a slave with whom she strikes a dangerous deal: teach her the intricate, thousand-year-old secret process of making indigo dye, and in return -- against the laws of the day -- she will teach the slaves to read. So develops an incredible story of romance, intrigue, hidden friendships, threats, ambition, betrayal, and sacrifice, based on historical documents and Eliza Lucas' own letters."--

In 1739, Eliza Lucas is sixteen years old when her father leaves her in charge of their family's plantations in South Carolina, and now her family is in danger of losing everything. With the high value of indigo dye, Eliza believes it's their salvation, but it means striking a dangerous deal.

The story of Eliza Lucas Pinckney, who ran her father's plantation outside Charleston, South Carolina in the 1700s and struck a bargain with the plantation's slaves--teach her how to make indigo and she would teach them to read.

1739 god. Otet͡s ostavli͡aet shestnadt͡satiletni͡ui͡u Ėlizu Lukas za glavnui͡u na trekh plantat͡sii͡akh semʹi v I͡Uzhnoĭ Karoline, a sam otpravli͡aetsi͡a stroitʹ voennui͡u karʹeru. Tem vremenem situat͡sii͡a na plantat͡sii͡akh nakali͡aetsi͡a, sredi rabov nachinai͡utsi͡a volnenii͡a, i semʹi͡a Ėlizy okazyvaetsi͡a v shage ot togo, chtoby poteri͡atʹ vse. Devushka uznaet, skolʹko vo Frant͡sii plati͡at za krasitelʹ indigo. Ona uverena, chto ėto - kli͡uch k spasenii͡u plantat͡siĭ ot razorenii͡a, no ne vstrechaet podderzhki dazhe v sobstvennoĭ semʹe. Nesmotri͡a na ėto, Ėliza reshaet deĭstvovatʹ i zakli͡uchaet opasnui͡u po tem vremenam sdelku s odnim iz rabov: esli tot nauchit ee tysi͡acheletnemu sekretu izgotovlenii͡a indigo, ona vzamen nauchit rabov chitatʹ. Tak nachinaetsi͡a udivitelʹnai͡a istorii͡a o devochke, sozdavshiĭ krasitelʹ, kotoryĭ stal populi͡arnym vo vsem mire. Roman o li͡ubvi, taĭnoĭ i opasnoĭ druzhbe, o stremlenii͡akh i zhertvakh, kotorye prikhoditsi͡a prinositʹ na puti k t͡seli.