"The Reckoning" is the first-person account of one man, who answered duty's call during the Civil War, despite suffering from what doctors in that era called "soldier's heart" (PTSD). It's part history, part war-time romance and all non-stop action as army veteran Ed Canfield battles his own demons and deadly foes on every side. The action begins in 1861, the same year that Abe Lincoln wins the presidency with only 39.8 percent of the popular vote. The South prepares for war against the North. But, in Florida, ex-army sharpshooter, Ed Canfield, and his hotheaded son, Jesse, are already at "war" with each other. Ed bars Jesse from joining the rebel army because Ed is haunted by what he saw and did during the Mexican-American War. Then, a Yankee warship attacks their harbor and Ed and Jesse must take up arms. In a daring escape, the blockade runners dodge the Yankee shelling and head for the graveyard of the sea with its deadly shoals, smugglers, cutthroats and spies. They race down the gulf coast looking for a refugee camp where Ed hopes his girl friend, Maureen, has found safety. But, as they enter the steaming Everglades, the deadliest foe of all strikes.