The year is 1776, early on in the Revolutionary War: a time of fevered fighting in the North but in the South, as yet, only a low, sporadic belly grumble. But in time that will all change. In the Carolinas this war is, and will continue to be, more a civil conflict - one of divided loyalties and families torn asunder. It is a war pitting brother against brother - or as in this case, brother against sister. Meet Kathryn Cameron MacLean: hers is a world of adventure rife with passion, grief, joy, guilt-ridden sorrow, fulfillment and loss.

Kathryn and Jamie will choose sides, accepting their fate, yet ultimately questioning the individual judgment that brings aching loss and guilt. For theirs is a destiny that pits a once devoted brother and sister against one another in a devastating war of long-reaching results: a war they will both try to survive. One opts for defense of a brave, new country; and one for a passion that could not be denied. As their tale unfolds, you will be inexorably lured into another time and place: often harsh, judgmental, and unrelenting - much like today's world. You will share their victories and losses. Judge them . or not.

As the Revolutionary War moves into the South, a richly woven tapestry of characters emerges. Lord Cornwallis strides boldly across the pages in his desperate struggle to quell the rebel upstarts and capture the South. Major Patrick Ferguson, unable to change his destiny, arrogantly rushes to a cruel fate. Lieutenant-Colonel Banastre Tarleton, branded 'butcher' in his callous disregard for life: yet caught in a very human moment of weakness.

You will be slowly introduced to a wealth of personalities, both real and fictitious, full-bodied action, and an ending that may shock you.

Meet some of the main characters:

Colonel Jason Tarrington: surly, arrogant, bitter - product of an abusive childhood. Seeking a means to vent inner furies without censure, he joins the British Green Dragoons. Talented in arms and strategy, he excels as a military man, his reputation for cruelty widely known. He has recently arrived in the Carolinas under orders from King George.

Lieutenant 'Jack' Jackson, fleeing a life of ease in England and wanting to see if he can survive on his own, joins Colonel Tarrington, a man he both admires and fears. A man of strong principles and loyalties, Lieutenant Jackson embroils himself in a dangerous rush to destiny in an ugly war.

Kathryn Cameron MacLean: daughter of a Scottish immigrant family who arrived in the Southern colonies of America after fleeing Scotland in the aftermath of Culloden. Although appearing independent and confident on the surface, she is tormented by old ghosts and insecurities from a past of hurts and conflict.

Kathryn's doting, but overbearing, older brother, Jamie, deemed it his personal duty to raise his sister after their parents' untimely deaths. Suffering devastating grief over his wife's terminal illness, he is ultimately left struggling to cope with the rearing of four small children. The sole burden of consolation falls to Kathryn, who although deeply concerned for a beloved brother, wants and demands a life of her own. Her stubborn need for freedom places her on the trail to the Cherokee village of Keowee to visit a renowned healer she fondly calls Anna. Stumbling upon Colonel Tarrington's British Dragoon encampment, she throws caution to the wind and blindly steps onto a collision course with destiny.

Riding at Jamie's side is Gabriel MacLean, his eldest son and Kathryn's adored nephew. Gabriel loves his feisty, brave aunt, in time coming to understand the difficult choices she has