At the beginning of the 17th century, three ships arrive in "The New World," to found the settlement of Jamestown, in what will become the colony of Virginia. The English see a pristine Eden, and the inhabitants of the great native civilization see invaders. Captain John Smith--sent on a reconnaissance mission to scope out "the Naturals'" fortifications--is quickly captured and sentenced to death by the chief. At the last moment the chief's favorite daughter, Pocahontas, throws herself upon Smith and begs her father to spare his life. The passionate and noble young native woman and the ambitious soldier of fortune find themselves torn between the undeniable requirements of civic duty and the inescapable demands of the heart. Love, loss, and discovery animate the story, an elegiac celebration of the America that was ... and the America that was yet to come.