Pick Garver grew up in the South. His only friends were the children of slaves owned by his tyrannical uncle. After fighting on the Union side in the War Between the States, he returns home only to find his mother is dead and the world he once knew has been turned upside down. Murderous gangs of night riders are forming to terrorize the freed slaves. The war is far from over in the minds of many, and Pick is counted a traitor by his former neighbors. Yet beneath the threat of impending violence, another war rages in his soul: It now seems more impossible than ever that he can build a future with the only woman he's ever loved.