The Journey of August King is a drama about a North Carolina farmer who lived in 1815. Widower August King, who sells his produce and buys what he needs to survive the winter, is on his way home. He does this every year. This is what August King must decide: to break the law and help this young woman escape or to leave her behind and be hunted down until she is returned to her slave owner. The young woman is about 19 years old.