What was it really like living as a woman in rural Ohio before, during, and after the Civil War? Beckley's grandfather's grandfather was the son of an unpretentious woman who did just that. Unknowingly, she became a family matriarch; and through the use of family documents handed down over the generations, along with governmental archives, and courthouse documents, Beckley is able to reconstruct her life. His research leads him to overgrown vacant lots, dilapidated cemeteries, and down many dusty gravel roads between Ohio and Kentucky, where on the 156th anniversary of the Perrysville Battle, he lies on the ridge where his distant ancestor's brother dies in combat.

No effort is spared to reveal the emotion, life, and times of this woman who is long forgotten and yet one who should be forever remembered, thanked, and loved for her devotion to her family.