The time is 1838 and the place is Tennessee. Tethered to the rigid rules and limited choices of the old South, Rachel struggles to accept the loss of John Rollins, her great love. Its been three painful years since John answered Crocketts Texian call to arms. Never having received any of the dozens of letters John had written her and believing him dead, Rachel is now married to Luke Thompson. It was a marriage arranged by her father for practical and political reasons. Her one source of solace is her infant son, Andrew. With Johns sudden return from the dead, Rachels life and marriage are thrown into turmoil. As the weeks pass, the mysterious disappearance of Johns letters brings to light an intricate web of deception as Rachel is caught in a seemingly hopeless dilemmastay in a marriage she never wanted or leave with John and risk losing her son.