In 1839, the revolt of Mende captives aboard a Spanish owned ship causes a major controversy in the United States when the ship is captured off the coast of Long Island. The courts must decide whether the Mende are slaves or legally free.
A maid is kidnapped and scratches a message onto D.C. the cat's collar and when his owner Patti discovers this, she plays amateur detective with the help of D.C. to try to find the culprits.