As a 15-year-old boy, Onesimus’ world is turned upside down when his parents are murdered and the murderers sell him into slavery, transporting him from his home in Lystra to Laodicea.

His owner is a reasonable master by most standards in the first century AD, but he is also firm and has high expectations of a companion for his young son—expectations that Onesimus usually meets. However, Onesimus never loses his yearning for freedom. Join him on his pathway toward freedom—and an unexpected newfound faith.

In this historical fiction, Jones considers the life of a young man who never gives up hope of regaining his freedom from slavery, while in the process gaining freedom of the soul, heart and mind, and maturing into a committed Christian leader.

In addition to telling the story of Onesimus, Jones wove a number of cultural and historical themes of the day: the unjust nature of slavery, political and legal issues, religious differences, discrimination, philosophy, ethics, crime, economics, love, leadership roles of women, marital relationships, education, career aspirations and adolescent inquiry.