Follows the lives, loves, and shifting fortunes of the unforgettable Bell family, from the American Revolution through the turbulent antebellum years to the savage defeat of the Confederacy. Jakes paints a powerful portrait of the Charleston aristocracy who zealously guard their wealth and privilege--while harboring dark family secrets that threaten to destroy them all. Peopled by a sprawling cast of memorable characters-- patriots and cowards, aristocrats and abolitionists, slaves and freedmen, heroic men and courageous women.