The Exiles, Book Two, of The Borderland Trilogy. As the Civil War shatters the American nation, Kansas and Missouri clash in fierce warfare over slavery, and members of the Hartman clan who have settled on both sides of the border learn that family blood is not thicker than water. They are compelled to choose sides in a conflict so overwhelming that it threatens to tear apart their family ties forever. Before the war ends, family members will die at the hand of their own kin, others will vow revenge, some will choose the bushwhacker trail-and one Hartman will decide whether to expose a plot, which could affect the balance of the war in Missouri. There would be no turning back once the members of the Hartman family had bitterly chosen their sides, and no reconciliation would ever be possible for this fiercely righteous frontier family, as they square off against each other.