The Underground Railroad

Henry and Caroline are racing for freedom across the frozen Ohio River when the ice gives way - and only a stranger's hand pulls Caroline from the current as slave catcher Nathan's bullets fly. Safe in Cabin Creek at last, they barely have time to build a new life before the Fugitive Slave Law changes everything: now no free state can protect them, and the Underground Railroad must carry them all the way to Canada. Meanwhile William takes the most desperate route of all... nailed inside a shipping crate, mailed north like cargo, and nearly killed when the box is loaded upside down. Nathan, armed with the new law, captures their friend Benjamin and threatens his sister to force him to reveal every safe house he used. The trail leads straight to Miss Holly's door, where Henry and Caroline hold their breath behind a false wall as Nathan searches the house. He misses them - but Miss Holly is arrested and taken away before she can tell them the route to the next station. Now the two are free for the moment, hunted still, and utterly lost.

Found on Risks and Rewards Album 24 · 12 episodes

The run See every episode

1 of 3 0309 The Perfect Witness When a bookstore robbery goes wrong, the thieves take a blind girl as the "perfect" hostage - never suspecting how much a witness can learn without seeing.

2 of 3 0310 The Perfect Witness A detective must piece together a blindfolded witness's memories of sounds and smells before the kidnappers' trail - and their hideout - disappears forever.

3 of 3 0311 The Perfect Witness A blind girl's remarkable memory for sounds and details may be the key to unraveling a bookstore robbery that's far more than it appears.

0312 Rewards in Full A citywide charity drive and a school safety campaign test what happens when the credit for good work lands on the wrong people.

0313 Top This! When her lifelong-rival cousin moves to Odyssey, Courtney turns a simple youth group fundraiser into an escalating contest to outdo her - while the local radio station stages its own outrageous bid for attention.

1 of 3 0314 The Underground Railroad Told through a curator's discovery of hidden tunnels beneath Whit's End, an enslaved Tennessee family's hope for freedom is tested when a cruel master's spite tears them apart.

2 of 3 0315 The Underground Railroad While one fugitive risks everything by mailing himself north in a shipping crate, two others race a relentless slave catcher toward a freedom that a new law may snatch away

3 of 3 0316 The Underground Railroad An enslaved family's desperate flight north along the Underground Railroad tests the limits of faith, sacrifice, and the strangers willing to risk everything to help them.

0317 B-TV: Envy When B-TV takes on the green-eyed monster of envy, Bernard and the gang use talk-show spoofs, fables, and detective drama to reveal where wanting what others have can lead.

1 of 2 0318 A Touch of Healing An ambitious experiment with the Imagination Station offers two children a taste of what their disabilities have denied them, while Connie faces a family crisis at the hospital.

2 of 2 0319 A Touch of Healing A boy in a wheelchair experiences walking inside the Imagination Station, and the fallout forces everyone at Whit's End to confront what healing really means.

0320 Where Is Thy Sting? As Connie's family gathers for her grandmother's funeral, grief forces each of them to confront what they truly believe about death, faith, and forgiveness.

0321 Hidden In My Heart When strange emergencies test what kids really know about the Bible, a lineup of imaginary helpers - an emergency operator, a verse-fetching wonder dog, and scripture-powered space gadgets - comes to the rescue.

Featured characters

Jack Allen Alan Young

Minor characters & crew 14 more roles

14 supporting roles

William Ross Angelo Sales John Brian Cummings Nathan (b) Nathan Carlson Carl Ross Terence Kelly Caroline Ross Saundra Sharp Henry Ross David Kirkwood Benjamin (f) Michael Sutton George (a) Pete Reneday Douglas (a) Brian Cummings Sidney Pete Reneday Delivery courier #1 Brian Cummings Delivery courier #2 Nathan Carlson Thomas Carlin Matt Hurwitz Miss Holly A-Jay James

Made by

Chris Anthony Host Marshal Younger Writer · Director Dave Arnold Sound Designer · Producer Mark Drury Producer Bob Luttrell Producer Paul McCusker Producer Chuck Bolte Executive Producer

The story

Read the full synopsis 2 min

William delivers Emily's package to George at the courier's office. Both are afraid that the other may be setting a trap, but the words “Miss Emily sent me” establish trust. George tells William to climb into a shipping crate. With only a few air holes, bread, and water, William will be mailed to Thomas Carlin in Cincinnati. The ordinary couriers know nothing about the human being hidden in their cargo.

Meanwhile, Henry and Caroline reach the frozen Ohio River with Nathan's posse close behind. The ice holds until Caroline breaks through. Henry grasps her hand but cannot pull her against the current. A stranger named Sydney suddenly helps rescue her, and together they cross under Nathan's gunfire. On the far bank, Sydney gives them dry clothes and shelter. Henry and Caroline rejoice that they have reached freedom.

They continue to Cabin Creek and spend several months building a life. Henry works extra to buy Caroline a beautiful dress that she can wear when William arrives. Then Sydney brings news that the Fugitive Slave Law has been enacted. People who help fugitives may be arrested, and enslavers can pursue escapees into free states. Cabin Creek is no longer safe. Henry and Caroline must follow the Underground Railroad all the way to Canada.

William's cramped journey lasts for days. His crate falls from a wagon, and the couriers put it back upside down. Blood rushes to his head until he loses consciousness. Thomas and a companion pry open the box in Cincinnati and at first fear William is dead. He awakens frightened but alive. Thomas explains that the new law means Ohio cannot protect him and that Cabin Creek has nearly emptied. He gives William a route to Canada drawn on durable leather.

Nathan uses the same new law to break into Thomas's home and capture Benjamin, who has traveled nearly to freedom. Benjamin refuses to betray the Underground Railroad, so Nathan threatens his enslaved sister in Birmingham. To protect her, Benjamin agrees to lead the posse backward through every safe house he used.

Henry and Caroline move slowly north, resting at secret stations until their guides decide it is safe to continue. At one home, Miss Holly hides them behind a false wall when Nathan arrives. Using information forced from Benjamin, Nathan has Miss Holly arrested. He searches the house but fails to find the hidden couple.

Henry and Caroline remain safe for the moment, but Miss Holly has been taken away before giving them directions to the next station. They emerge from the wall knowing that Nathan is still hunting them and that they no longer know which way to go.