"We are Courtneys. We don't have to fight with our fists. We fight with power and money and influence. Nobody can beat us on our own ground." A powerful family. A time of war. Centaine de Thiry Courtney has not only survived, but thrived, a successful woman with two sons of her own: Shasa Courtney, the Courtney heir, and Manfred de la Rey, Shasa's half-brother, her secret child raised solely by his father. At the time of the Great Depression, Centaine must make difficult decisions to ensure the security of her family - decisions that will affect Manfred and his father, Lothar de la Rey, a man Centaine once loved. But the world is changing, and conflicts greater than any the world has seen before are looming. Centaine and her children must face the upcoming war - where not all of them will be on the same side...