Set two years after the commencement of the American Civil War, it loosely centers on Belle Gatlin Barlow, Lauren Ambrose. Deliverance Creek is where the Union troop's pay will be delivered, so a group of Union deserters go there to intercept it. Belle lives in Deliverance Creek with her children, trying to maintain the farm, as her husband Harlan left to fight in the war and is presumed dead. Belle is involved with Deputy Nate Cooper, Wes Ramsey. Belle's neighbor Jeb Crawford, Barry Tubb, hits on her, but she rejects his advances. When he returns home, he complains about their run-in and his wife Cordelia, Katherine Willis, notices the slap mark on his face.
In Arkansas, Kessie, Yāni King Mondschein, a slave, sneaks her family off the plantation to avoid being separated, as her husband Moses is to be sold at a slave auction. When the owner finds them missing he vows never to free Kessie. She copies the safe key, forges her freedom papers and takes cash from the safe to follow her family. Belle's sister Hattie Gatlin, Caitlin Custer, talks about participating in the Underground Railroad. She goes to collect the first people to hide, Kessie's family, only to find there are more than there is space for. Cordelia, who works at the bank, Katherine Willis, is unsympathetic to Belle's financial difficulties and sends her a notice. When Belle discovers a few of her calves were wrongly branded by Jeb, she convinces him at gunpoint to return them.
Returning home from town, Belle finds her brother Jasper, Christopher Backus, and other Union army deserters. Toby, Riley Smith, Caleb's father, is suffering from a gunshot wound, which Belle treats. Hattie arrives at Belle's, hoping to hide Kessie's children overnight. Belle warns her how dangerous that could be with the men there so Hattie convinces the saloon owner to hide them. The deserters burn their coats in the back. Belle hears them conspiring to rob the Union soldier payroll, soon to arrive at the local bank. Nate shows up at Belle's farmhouse and tries to get her to leave with the kids, but she refuses.
Belle realises they will soon search her premises so she sends off the deserters, and hides Toby and her kids. A posse comes by, as remnants of the Union soldiers' things were retrieved from the fire. During their search, Caleb is shot dead. After they bury him, Belle tells Toby he was his son. Kessie arrives, only to find that Moses and the kids were separated and his fate is unknown. Hattie convinces Belle to take her in under the guise of a slave. Belle contacts Jasper to help them steal the Union payroll, as she wants revenge against the Crawfords for Caleb's death. Visiting Nate's office, she deduces when the gold will arrive. Belle enlists Kessie's help, in exchange for helping reuniting her family.
Ben, Joel Johnstone, stands watch in the safe overnight, while four of the deserters are snuck into the funeral home next door to the bank, in pine boxes under the guise of a family that perished from smallpox. They break into the bank and crack the safe, but Ben is shot. The men hide the gold, planning to meet in a month to divvy out the earnings, but Cyril, Christopher James Baker, plans to keep it for himself. The next day, once the robbery is discovered, Cordelia is told she'll be held responsible for the value of all missing. Nate finds Belle's necklace at the scene of the crime, and when they meet, she realises it's missing. >"Deliverance Creek" remains a place where fear, loyalty, and ambition collide as the town navigates war's shadow and the consequences of a bold, dangerous plan.
