It is June of 1776, the second year of the American Revolution. The Continental Congress, meeting in Philadelphia, appoints five men to prepare a draft of a document that proclaims America's independence from Britain. Three of the men are Thomas Jefferson, John Adams and Benjamin Franklin. Captain Benjamin Tallmadge, George Washington's spy chief believes that the British plan to prevent this declaration of American liberty, but he doesn't know how or when. Tallmadge enlists four young Americans as spies to help uncover the plot. Three of the young people live in 1776. The fourth lives in the present day. Charles Miller travels back in time to join his18th century friends Ben Sampson, Emmy Sampson and Aaron Attucks. Each is given an assignment to stop the British from succeeding - Charlesas the manservant to Thomas Jefferson, Emmy as a maid for John Adams, and Ben and Aaron working in the homes of two of the suspected plotters. The four young people, following every lead, discover and decodea British message that exposes the conspiracy. With the help of Jacob Garter, a tailor and secret agent, and Lester Miles, a time-traveler who is more than he seems to be, they defy the British spies in a tense confrontation and prevent them from kidnapping the three American patriots. On July 4th, the Declaration Of Independence is approved by Congress. As he begins his journey back to the present, Charles learns that history is not always what it seems to be - that what is recorded as occurring in the past may not have been what actually happened.