The Lantern is based on a Delmarva Peninsula legend about Sarah, a local 17th-century Quaker beauty, who attracted the attention of two Anglican brothers from one of colonial America's wealthiest families. She was courted by both and married the one who became Maryland's first governor. The marriage proceeded to produce generation after generation of political and social leaders of their county, Talbot; their state, Maryland; and their country, the young United States. As part of the story, the Lloyds become reunited with abolitionist Frederick Douglass, who had been born on their plantation. This meeting initiates a struggle within the family to justify its long-held tradition of owning slaves. Although the main characters are based on the lives of two real families and their acquaintances, many fictional characters and events have been interwoven.