From the fires of Hell a Phoenix rises when Eli's sons return from the war. Battle scarred and prison weary, they find their father despondent, the farm in ruins and the children evacuated from hunger.Vows are the building blocks and devotion is the mortar that solidifies a proud southern family. The war ended but peace is elusive. A vindictive victor extracts retribution from the vanquished. The price is high. Reconstruction laws and disenfranchisement cripples the returning confederates. Lizzie recognizes the importance of the promise she made her dying mother to nurture and protect the younger siblings. Watt and his brothers struggle to rebuild the farm from the rubble of war. Supplies and resources are scarce. Eli continues to exemplify the family values of faith, courtesy and loyalty as the standard he expects his children to uphold. As the family grows, the future looks grim for the next generation. Has the time come to abandon their home and find their destiny in the west?