In 1860, Big Tom McCall was a poor dirt farmer in the hills of Middle Tennessee. He worked hard each day trying to make a living for his little family. But he was losing the battle. He had married the daughter of a wealthy merchant against her parents' wishes and they had disowned her. What started out as a whirlwind romance had turned to tragedy. When his wife lost two children to poverty disease, she lost her mind. Try as he will, he could not make things right. When the Civil Was war declared, he jumped at the chance to join the Confederate Army. He held no particular philosophy with regard to the current issues of the day. He just saw the war as a way to get out of his situation at home. He was told that he would make eleven dollars per month which was enough to take care of his wife and two children. Soon after he joined the Army he was captured by the Tennessee Federals which set into motion unforeseen events that would turn a gentle giant into a cold hard man who could take a life without blinking an eye.