No one could mistake seventeen-year-old Rachel Barkley for a southern belle. She was, after all, raised in the North on the edge of the untamed western frontier. But one might say that her birthplace suited her well. An extended visit to a relative's Mississippi plantation a few months before the start of the Civil War opened up a whole different world to Rachel and her sister, Emily. And it exposed Rachel's southern acquaintances to a different kind of girl, sometimes to their amusement, and sometimes to their dismay. In Mississippi, Rachel met the wealthy Randolph family - Mr. & Mrs. Randolph, Luke, Charles, and daughter, Amanda, adopted under somewhat mysterious circumstances. Rachel's life became more intertwined with the Randolphs than she could ever have imagined or her cousin, Lucy, might have wished. There, also, Rachel was presented with a tempting opportunity that promised a way to fulfill her unconventional dreams and ambitions - but at what cost? (This book includes a list of sources used in researching the Civil War period.)