In 1852, deep in the Delta of Mississippi, the choice to sell one slave sets in motion a series of

tragic events for two families that will test the honor and faith of all.

Years before the brutality of the Civil War, acts of callous cruelty were already a way of life. In
the rich alluvial soil of the Mississippi River, the Banks family of Arledge Hall Plantation decides
expansion is in order. To raise money for more land, a young slave is sold to the Stanfords of
Five Oaks, a neighboring plantation. The sale of Thomas rips him from his parents, Joe and Lucy,
and puts members of the Banks family at odds with each other as some of them know how
dangerous the Stanford's abusive overseer can be. Merciless and vindictive, the overseer is a
brute who has no respect for any man, regardless of skin color, and even less respect for
women.
Joe and Lucy grieve the absence of their son, knowing only God alone can protect Thomas. But
trying to find acceptance that their usually docile master sold their child requires a strength
they're not sure they have. As they grapple with heartache, circumstances find Joe protecting a
woman from the overseer's advances, a decision that guarantees retribution by way of Thomas.
In turn, this creates an unimaginable domino effect of vengeance, intimidation, and eventually,
murder, rending the two southern families' friendship and fracturing the budding romances
between the Stanford and Banks children--although forbidden fruit tempts all the more.
As a vengeful enemy continues to threaten the occupants of Arledge Hall, Joe's courageous
faith shines like a beacon in a storm. But as a final cruel twist of fate plays out, can the two
families endure while facing the approaching threat of war?

Spend a decade at Arledge Hall in this first book of the trilogy
and discover why you'll want to visit again and again.