From his base of operations in Valley Head, Alabama, Special Agent John Wager investigates a Civil War widow's claim in the mild winter of 1877 and 1878. In the course of his investigation, he learns the fate of Lucy's boys, her four sons and three grandsons, who were soldiers. Likewise, the citizens of the area discover the agent's contribution to Reconstruction in postwar North Alabama and his family's part in the nation's history. Could his family really have owned and controlled an entire town?

Accompany the agent as he deals with the day-to-day life of his host family and the remnants of their vast plantation. Discover the contribution of the Winstons to the development of the Wills Valley Railroad and industry in the area. Participate in their at-home church service and social gatherings in the valley.

In the course of his month's stay, the agent helps doctors thwart a mysterious epidemic, and he assists a patient in his spiritual quest. In the conduct of his depositions, Special Agent Wager rehearses the area soldiers' Civil War adventures. He wrestles especially with the source of one of the mountain soldiers' survivor remorse and his own post-traumatic stress disorder. Can the reader guess the cause and cure?