The first of this three-volume historical thriller explores why the innocent suffer. In a dream the Saint of Death delivers a warning as Molly McCraken flees with her family from a deadly invasion. Her niece, Amy, is abducted and her dad wants to search for her before she is sold to smugglers. Then Amy's dad falls in an ambush and her mom is taken by disease. Only Aunt Molly is left to save Amy.
The story of Saving Amy begins in Gonzales when town-folks learn that their men have been executed by an invading army. Next, they will attack the town. Amy's mom and Aunt Molly pack their belongings and flee with the town-folks for the safety of the United States. They are relieved when Amy's dad finds them on the road and wonder how he managed to escape. He won't give them a direct answer. The first night they shelter themselves from the cold blowing rain by sleeping under their wagon where the Angel of Death appears to Aunt Molly in a dream and warns her about the future.
The next morning Molly watches the unprepared refugees line up to trudge up a mud and manure covered road to the United States. She asks a passing sandy-haired captain if he has seen or heard of her missing husband, but he has never heard of him. As the refugees press on through cold days and wet sleepless nights, they become infected with disease. They must bury their dead where they fall. Grief stricken and exhausted, Aunt Molly struggles to find a reason why the innocent must suffer. Then tragedy strikes.
Amy is abducted.
Amy's dad flies into a rage and her mom collapses in despair. Gathering his rifle, he prepares to search for Amy. Aunt Molly advises him to wait until help can join him, but he will never forgive himself if he doesn't try to find her presently on his own. He insists that Molly take Amy's mom to San Felipe and wait for him. When they arrive, they find warm dry weather and food. But Amy's mom has no appetite since like many other refugees she has become ill.
Then Amy's dad returns.
He wants to take them to the coast and put them on a ship to New Orleans so that he may continue to search for Amy. Molly fears the invading army, but he fears Amy will be traded or sold if he doesn't find her soon. Amy's mom agrees and the next morning they turn south toward Matagorda.
About halfway to Matagorda, they see an orange glow beneath darkening clouds in the north and hear muffled cannon as San Felipe comes under attack. The next day Amy's mom dies from cholera. In honor of her beloved sister, Aunt Molly decides she will continue south with her brother-in-law to search for Amy. In Matagorda they discover there are no longer any outbound ships for Molly to board. As they flee from town they are ambushed. Amy's dad is killed, and Aunt Molly fights her captors until losing consciousness.
While in dreamy unconsciousness the Saint of Death appears to Molly again to show her the way out.
Traffickers are reveling in their victory when she awakens bound in their camp. After they drink themselves to sleep, she struggles against her blood-slick knots. If she escapes up the road, they will find her. The best way out is through the thicket surrounding the camp. So, she pushes her way through thorns and darkness on her hands and knees until a lizard runs up her arm and into her hair. Bolting to her feet she screams, awakening her captors who then crash through the thicket after her. Down again she crawls furiously through winding game tunnels until her clothes are shredded and her body bleeds. At dawn she breaks out of the thicket onto a riverbank where sunlight dances on rippling water that cools her burning flesh. She can't hear the crashing and yelling of her captors anymore but knows she must keep moving.