When her twelve-year-old daughter comes home with another school project, Mallory Jardine is dismayed to discover the assignment is a family tree. Mallory knows nothing of their genealogical past, so she reaches out to her mother, Olivia, for help. Their search takes them from Pasadena to San Augustine, deep in the piney woods of East Texas, where their ancestors had settled in the early 1800s. As they delve deeper into their family's history, their past and present merge into a dangerous mystery. They find themselves searching for a forgotten brotherhood and lost Confederate gold. They are assisted in their quest by the very handsome Christopher Morgan, whose very presence fills Mallory with feelings that both surprise and terrify her. The indiscretions of a righteous woman bring even more danger, intrigue, and murder into their midst. As the secrets from the past are exposed and the hidden truths are brought to light, Mallory and her family are faced with the realization that everything will change and nothing will ever be the same again.