On a New England farm in July, 1863, 13-year-old Martin awaits results of the Battle of Gettysburg, where his brother is heavily engaged. What the Dascombs learn plunges them into grief. Then a dark secret comes to light which threatens to break the family altogether. Several weeks later, in the company of a friend fleeing with a terrible secret of her own, Martin steals away from home in the night, hoping to make his way north to Montreal and find the truth about a disgraced older brother who had never spoken about a child, or a Negro woman! This historically rigorous novel is about basic human drives: to understand oneself and find one's place in the world, to maintain family integrity, and to fathom the nature of God. It's premise is that, not only adolescents but all of us are often engaged in one or several kinds of "civil war."