While her husband and son are away fighting in the war, Charlotte Grimball must manage Heartland, the family's plantation on John's Island near Charleston.She finds that being in charge of many enslaved Africans is her greatest challenge, but she soon discovers that they had hidden talents that were a great help to her in time of need.
One of Charlotte's field hands, Big Tom, runs away during the war, taking his wife Liza and his little daughter, Lilly with him. Bound for the north and freedom, they travel together less than fifty miles from Charleston. After the war is over, Liza and Lilly start walking the long way home to Heartland Plantation. On the journey she meets an unusual man who will become an important part of her life as well as the life at Heartland.
Charlotte's son, Jimmy stops writing home, and for a long time, she is uncertain as to whether he is alive or dead. He makes his way to a relative's home in Baltimore. There he is welcomed by his Uncle Frederick Grimball, but was received with scorn and hostility by his cousin Freddie, who despised the South. The Baltimore Grimball's make a steamboat trip to South Carolina taking Jimmy home to Heartland. The trip softens Freddie's attitude of the South which leads to a happier family reunion.
Charlotte's husband James returns home to find that his rice plantation can no longer be productive for the land. He and his brothers must find a way to turn Heartland into a business that will not only benefit the family, but will provide employment for those in need to plan for the future.