The last time he saw his father, Henderson Freeman was bolting from his family home in Halifax, swearing that he’d never return. But no matter where he ran or who he became — a soldier in World War II, a political activist in New York, a rail porter on transcontinental trains — Henderson can’t shake his father’s voice, advising, arguing ― calling him to service for his community.

When this voice goes silent, Henderson knows that his father is dead. He returns home to deliver a eulogy, the highest duty of a Black son to his father, but how can he find the right words to describe Anthony Freeman, the enigmatic archbishop of the Abyssinia Church?

As Henderson tries to understand his father, he comes to understand himself, the rich history of Black lives in North America, and his father’s commitment to Canada as the place to live out his hopes and dreams.