Laura Wingate's life in New York City was falling apart. The man she hoped to marry would not commit, and her job as a museum exhibitions manager was growing stale. Needing to reevaluate her future, she travels to Magnolia House located near Alexandria, Louisiana. It was a place she shared many happy days with her grandparents. Along the way, Laura meets Kendrick Reynolds, a Hollywood director preparing to film a movie in the area around Alexandria based on the American Civil War's Red River Campaign. Her attraction to Kendrick quickly puts his life in danger when another crew member, and forgotten high school classmate, competes for her attention. As production gets underway, Laura also becomes intrigued by the historical events of 1864 and rumors about Magnolia House involvement in the Underground Railroad. Artifacts she discovers in the attic suggest the rumors were not unfounded, but she cannot interpret their meaning. When her new suitors accidentally stumble across the evidence she seeks, they put aside their differences and make a pact to keep it from her. Little did she suspect the past was going to collide with the present, changing her forever.