Life changes for Caroline Hollister after the death of her husband at Gettysburg. Moved from her plantation home in the delta, she learns to be self-sufficient and independent as she shares a holler in the Ozark Mountains in northern Arkansas with her in-laws. She proves to be successful in raising her twin sons and teaching them to live with what the land provides. With the help of Thom and Sarah Hollister, she learns to work the land and preserve food for winter, make twine from cotton and wool, and sew the clothes they wear. Even though the war has ended, bushwhackers still raided farmers who lived in the valleys and small settlements throughout the mountains. With watchful eyes, Caroline kept a close eye on the holler she lived in with her twin sons and in-laws. Terror grips her each time she hears the dogs bark or when there is no sound in the forest behind the cabin. There's always the fear of being watched from the mountainside and raiders making their way into the little valley. It isn't until a stranger appears in her shed during a blizzard that she comes face to face with her fears. Could he be a bushwhacker who had gotten lost in the storm? She realizes how much five years of anger and bitterness has taken from her life. It isn't until her sons plead with her to let the man stay in the cabin where he won't freeze that she must make a hasty decision. With her decision made. she must face James Cartwright and the joy he brings her sons as winter is freezing everything outside. Still cautious, she wonders why he was in her shed and if he is possibly a raider. She listens for clues and asks questions hoping he will open up and reveal the real reason he is there. James Cartwright has a secret he wants to share with Caroline but doesn't know how she will respond. Each day he spends with the two nine year olds, he finds peace and joy returning to his tortured life. The presence of Caroline fills his heart with contentment and pain at the same time. How does he let her know that she saved his life during his years in a Yankee prison? How can his heart stop the love he already has for her even though they had not met until the day he was found in the shed?
