Georgia
December 11, 1864

This will be another long and dreary day, smelling the smoke from our neighbors' houses, waiting for the sound of the Yankee boots and gunfire....

Everyone knows the south is losing the war, and Maddie can only worry. Will her father return safely from the war to take over the family plantation again? Can her mother hide enough provisions from marauding Yankee troops for the family and slaves to survive the winter? Will Sarajane, a slave and her oldest friend, stay on once the Union has abolished slavery? Will Sherman's army destroy her home?

The Yankees have taken so much that Maddie can't recover. There is only one small victory left for her to win. Maddie resolves to keep the hated Yankees from taking her gentle mare, Ginger. Maddie's plan is risky. It turns dangerous when she is captured by Union soldiers. Suddenly Maddie finds herself questioning her own convictions -- and risking her life to save a stranger who is also her sworn enemy.