Roswell's early years at his beloved home Briarwood was a charmed one. He could ride and hunt with his best friend Tom, the son of a freed slave, to his heart's content. Then, after the devastating Civil War, adult problems and confusing choices sent them both towards their own destinies. When Roswell traveled on an errand to Atlanta he saved Tom from a nasty fate while at the same time he met the fair Virginia, who was the daughter of the Union General. This is a tale of love lost and regained between two people barely come of age and separated by circumstances beyond their control. They were children of a nation at war with itself and found that familial responsibilites and endurance through personal trials were the only ways to freedom. It is the recounting of a family's courage and patience during the traumatic times of Reconstruction era Georgia. But ultimately it is the story of people accepting and appreciating each other regardless of politics, race or creed.