The story follows Darien, the son of a farm owner. After his father dies in an accident and his mother remarries, he goes alone to the University of Georgia. There, he meets a group of like-minded friends and develops a tender, sincere romance with Colin, the son of a Southern politician. Then the Civil War breaks out, plunging the land into turmoil. The two are called to the front, where the once-innocent young men come face-to-face with the truth of a world at war: the cold cruelty of political maneuvering, the fragility of life under fire, and the selfishness and ugliness of human nature in desperate times. Amid a hail of bullets, they cover for one another and fight side by side, changing rapidly and struggling to grow amid the smoke and flames, as they come to know and love each other. With the South at a major disadvantage in arms and manpower, the two are captured while their troops are retreating. They encounter Arthur, a former college classmate who has joined the North and risen to a position of power. Arthur uses Colin as a bargaining chip to threaten Anthony, the acting president of the South. Darien joins forces with Howard to help Colin escape, but an accident occurs after Colin boards a ship. He falls into the sea and disappears. A year later, the war finally ends and Darien is sent home. Decatur is now a desolate place, ravaged by defeat. His home is destroyed, his mother Madeleine is dead, his sister Luna has lost her mind, and his stepfather and younger brother Gavin are nowhere to be found. Darien stays in Decatur to rebuild his home. Despite one setback after another, he keeps caring for his sister while searching everywhere for Colin and his stepfather. Years later, Darien unexpectedly reunites with Colin, and after enduring countless hardships, the two finally remain together.
