1863: In a small Creole cottage in New Orleans, an ingenious young Black woman named Stella embroiders intricate maps on repurposed cloth to help enslaved men flee and join the Union Army. Bound to a man who would kill her if he knew of her clandestine activities, Stella has to hide not only her efforts but her love for William, a Black soldier and a brilliant musician. Meanwhile, in New York City, a Jewish woman stitches a quilt for her husband, who is stationed in Louisiana with the Union Army. But when months go by without word from him, Lily resolves to make the perilous journey South to search for him. The paths of these two women converge in New Orleans, where an unexpected encounter leads them to discover that even the most delicate threads have the capacity to save us.