A COUNTRY BETWEEN - As the Declaration of Independence is read to the Continental Army on the eve of the Revolutionary War, General George Washington thinks back to his first military experiences more than 20 years before when he was a young officer, fighting for the Crown to secure the western territories of Pennsylvania and beyond for colonial expansion. Washington was a pivotal figure in the start of the French and Indian War in 1754, a conflict that pitted England's goals for empire in the New World against French interests. Caught between were the Indian nations, whose leaders struggled to negotiate between these two European forces to protect their own interests. After a disastrous skirmish that leaves a French diplomatic envoy dead and a resounding defeat in his first full-scale battle at Fort Necessity, Washington becomes an aide to General Edward Braddock, who was sent from England with a large force to secure the strategic Forks of the Ohio. By equal measures arrogant and inexperienced, Braddock is met with bitter defeat by French forces and their Indian allies and succumbs to his battlefield wounds. Britain becomes more determined to win the war and sends thousands of troops, setting the stage for the next phase of the war. UNLIKELY ALLIES - As the war unfolds and moves to upstate New York, relationships among the French, British, Indians and colonial settlers become increasingly tense, and the frontier grows more dangerous. Indians see the war between the French and English as an opportunity to secure their own territory and begin to attack settlements, taking women captive as part of their spiritual mourning tradition for lost warriors. French and English officers are disgusted by Indians they perceive as barbarians, but they are forced into uneasy alliances. Interesting characters emerge, including British general Andrew William Johnson, an Irish fur trader who has an exceptional ability to bridge the cultural divide, and his friend, the Mohawk Chief Hendrick. As the front lines stretch from North Carolina to Canada, it is far from clear who the victor will be.