Seventeen-year old Violet is caught between the desire of her parents to marry a family friend and her love for a mature lawyer. When war develops one beau rides with J.E.B. Stuart in the cavalry, the other goes on vital and daring missions as a secret agent for the Confederacy. The story is also about women´s sacrifice on the home front near Ashland and Richmond, VA. It rises to a crescendo at "The Battle of Yellow Tavern," when the protagonist´s mother reveals a secret carried throughout her adult life. This revelation brings resolution in the relationship between mother and daughter and the men they love. The story closes with hope and promise for the future.