This heartwarming, often heartbreaking novel reveals the triumphs and tragedies that were 19th century southern America. From sending young men off to fight their brothers,to facing the adversity of Reconstruction, to the struggle between between races and classes, Ripley absolutely captures the latter part of a tumultuous century.

Leading us on this journey is the novel's heroine, Elizabeth Tradd, raised in wealth and finery until the Civil War leaves her family bordering on poverty. "Lizzie", despite the set-backs, however, manages to use her tenacious spirit and her magnetic charm to establish a life for herself while all the while striving to mend the lives of her family and friends.

The magnificent Tradds, they would damn the Yankees--and win back their world.

There had always been Tradds in Charleston--strong, attractive men and lovely, gracious women. And like the other handsome, laughing young men and pretty girls in crinolines and lace, they took their elegant, aristocratic city for granted, until the bravest soldiers of the south lay in the blood of defeat and Yankee soldiers marched victoriously into proud Charleston.

Now, in a brash, powerful tale that sweeps from the final years of the war to the days of Reconstruction to the beginnings of the Ragtime Era, the struggle of an unforgettable family and the city they loved comes dynamically to life. At its center is Elizabeth Tradd. She is a child who see the horrors that war can bring, a girl who learns the worst that men can do, and a woman who discovers the breathtaking passion that comes to but a lucky few...in a story that captures an extraordinary family history of courage, commitment, and unassailable love.