By Way of the Stars
Spring, 1865. The last spring in the childhood of Lukas Bienmann. Nothing forebodes the calamities about to befall the 13-year-old boy and his family in the peaceful town of Liebenberg, Prussia. Nature awakens to new life, and Lukas is happy, for his mother is about to give birth to her second child, and Lukas' grandfather, Brunneck, is coming from Canada for the event. Brunneck, however, brings only discord to the family. Though Lukas is excited by his grandfather's plans to take the family back with him to Canada, his father Karl will hear none of this. Tempers flare and Lukas' mother, deeply troubled and frightened, goes into early labor - and dies. Brunneck blames Karl, and demands to take Lukas with him. Bewildered, Lukas flees into the night. Lukas accidentally witnesses an altercation between a local nobleman, Count Otto von Lebrecht, and a gambling partner to whom he owes money. When Otto kills the man in a rage, Lukas tries to flee, but is caught by the murderer. Otto threatens to kill him and his father should he ever talk... Otto, who has stolen some valuable jewels, lays the blame on Lukas' father Karl. Fearful of Otto's threats, Lukas is unable to defend his father, even though he knows that Otto committed the theft. After Karl is sent to jail, Lukas is taken into the home of the benevolent Baron von Knabig. The Baron places the boy in the custody of his wife's brother - who turns out to be none other than Otto von Lebrecht! Though Lukas' future looks bleak, he soon wins the confidence of the Baron and his wife: one day, Al-Jamil, the magnificent stallion the Baron has bought for his daughter Ursula, is whipped into a panic by Count Otto. Lukas leaps into the paddock to calm the animal and prevent it from injuring anyone. Impressed, the Baron entrusts Al-Jamil to the boy's care. Though Ursula, fifteen, is not allowed to ride Al-Jamil yet, she disobeys her father and is nearly trampled by the frisky stallion. Lukas rescues her, and is rewarded by being allowed to visit his father in prison. Otto, however, foils the meeting, just as he has been preventing the Baroness' letters from reaching Brunneck in Canada, ensuring that the boy's grandfather cannot come to his aid. Unable to pawn the stolen jewels, Otto plots to kidnap and sell Al-Jamil, and to dispose of Lukas in the process. Otto puts a wrench in his own plans, however, for he causes an accident in which the horse is seriously injured. The Baron wants to have the horse killed, but Lukas begs him to let him nurse Al-Jamil to health. Ursula, won over by Lukas' energetic nature, finally brings her father to yield. Al-Jamil's recovery helps seal Lukas' friendship with Ursula. As Otto's threats become more menacing, Lukas plans a daring escape for himself and his father. To this effect, he enlists the help of an old peddlar and trusted friend, Nathan. Though they succeed in freeing Karl from prison, the operation runs into a snag when Otto's henchmen capture Lukas. While Karl heads off to America alone, Lukas frees himself and gallops to Danzig on Al-Jamil. He sneaks onto a ship headed for America, hoping to find his father there. Little does he know who else is on board: Ursula, the Baroness - and Count Otto. Lukas is discovered and faces punishment as a stowaway. Sensing that the boy is troubled, the Baroness takes him aside. Lukas pours out his heart and reveals the truth about Otto... Determined to clear Karl's name and save Lukas from punishment, the Baroness confronts Otto, who confesses. Before she can bring the truth to light, however, tragedy strikes: smallpox breaks out among the passengers, and she succumbs to the disease while caring for the sick. Meanwhile, Karl arrives in the American South, where he is hired by a northern lumber company to take a shipment of wood north. He and his companions Virgil and six-year-old Tomorrow, ex-slaves, are being followed by Tully, a Southerner bent on destroying the lumber dealer. One night, Tully sets fire to the de
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