WITH CANNON BALLS reigning down on them, Hank Overton inadvertently takes his guard with him into a ditch, which saves their lives. Everyone else was killed. His guard, Tom Masters, and Hank decide to leave the war. On their way west, they by chance meet a girl, Amy Blair, who has lost her family. The three form a family and travel west going through several trials along the way. They are invited to join a thespian troupe and become actors for over two years. This gives them an education while meeting people who would be their friends for life. Meeting John Windsor, a man from England, and one of the richest men in the world, it changes all their lives. Windsor hires Hank and Tom and they help the South to recover after the Civil War. Hank marries Windsor's daughter and inherits all of Windsor's American holdings. Tragedy follow hanks as he makes his way through life.