Set during the Gettysburg campaign, the narrative follows a small-town youth whose father is known as a Copperhead and who faces ostracism and accusation from his neighbors. Pressed by a divisive draft and difficult domestic pressures, he confronts a wrenching decision about service, leaves for the front, and reports from the battlefield, including an episode that brings him before Abraham Lincoln. The story traces combat, loss, and a fraught return, exploring themes of communal prejudice, personal honor, and the human costs of civil war.