When Rachel Kearney's father returned from the war between the North and South, she discovered that the family reunion was not a joyful event. The father became a man persecuted by the law. And so Rachel, her sister, brother, and baby cousin must flee Vicksburg - the only place they knew and which was their home. Dan Overton heads to Fort Worth in search of an elusive killer. But from the moment he set his eyes on Rachel Kearney, that courageous, copper-haired young woman who called herself a widow, he gave her his heart. And in an atmosphere of post-war confusion, when danger threatens from all sides, capricious fate unites them, unites them with passion and love that knows no barriers.