The Thread Collectors

In 1863 New Orleans, Stella, a young Black woman living in a Creole cottage, embroiders intricate maps on repurposed cloth to help enslaved men flee and join the Union Army. Bound to a man who would kill her if he knew of her clandestine activities, she also must hide her love for William, a Black soldier and musician. In New York City, Lily, a Jewish woman, stitches quilts and rolls bandages for soldiers while waiting for word from her husband stationed in Louisiana. When months pass with no news, Lily resolves to travel south to search for him, and the two women’s paths converge in New Orleans.