Kate Holcomb is the daughter of a pro-slavery attorney during the Civil War. In the days after the war, a handsome Union soldier, Ashcroft Duncan, comes to the Holcomb plantation in her small Mississippi town, to investigate a lynching. His charm captivates her. But the ravishing hotel clerk, Mattie O'Brien, sees Ashcroft as her way out of poverty and makes every attempt to secure his love away from Kate. Kate is hiding a great secret from her past and Mattie's presence threatens to expose it. Ashcroft's investigation and Mattie's threats, revive the ghosts of Kate's past and the war that still haunts her. As she struggles to find love and make sense of the ravaged south, Kate must face who she was, who she is and who she will let inside her heart.