It is 1844 when Alabama-born Rose begins writing a journal. She has just reluctantly agreed to marry Nathan Flowers. The years pass, and together Rose and Nathan have five children. A Chickasaw couple, kin to Nathan by marriage, lives with them and helps Rose settle in and raise a family.
Rose, Nathan, and their five children could have lived happily ever after--but then came the War Between the States. The North and South found themselves divided and Rose is pained when two of her children join the Union, while two others join the Confederacy. Her journal keeps her grounded; if she continues to write, perhaps she can make sense of what's happening.
Living a normal life during the Civil War is impossible, but Rose does her best to keep calm and care for the remaining members of her family. When the war is over America must rebuild and life is still not easy in the South. The war was difficult for the nation, but it was also hard on individual families. This is the story of one such family, who struggled to love each other despite differing beliefs.