The peaceful Southern life that Emma Simpson and her family know is shattered when the Civil War begins. Emma's father and brother are called to battle, but her family believes the Confederacy will quickly win the War between the States. However, as the months drag on, the harsh realities of war set in: supplies, medicine, food, firewood, and ink for Emma to use in her diary become increasingly scarce as troops from the North march deeper into the South. Finally, even Emma's home is commandeered by the Yankees. Though she faces many hardships and the horrors of death, Emma never loses hope, and, with a brave spirit, she comes to realize what things in life are most important.

In 1861, Amelia Martin's father is stripped of his post as a ship's captain when he is caught harboring the leader of a slave rebellion. Now he is an assistant lighthouse keeper on Fenwick Island, off the coast of Delaware -- a state wedged between the North and the South, just as Amelia is wedged between her warring parents. Amelia's mother blames her abolitionist husband for their living conditions, which she claims are taking a toll on her health. Amelia observes her mother's hate and her father's admiration for Abraham Lincoln.

It's 1859, and Clotee, a twelve-year-old slave, has the most wonderful, terrible secret. She knows that if she shares it with the wrong person, she will face unimaginable consequences. What is her secret? While doing her job of fanning her master's son during his daily lessons, Clotee has taught herself to read and write. But the tutor, Ely Harms, has a secret of his own.

In a time when literacy is one of the most valuable skills to have, Clotee is determined to use her secret to save herself, and her family.

Patsy, an orphaned slave with a bad leg and a quiet nature, is considered slow by the Davis family. But Patsy's smart — smart enough to learn to read and write on the sly. After the Civil War ends and slavery is abolished, Patsy believes Master Davis's promise to pay the former house slaves and to educate the slave children. But when the master ignores his promise to establish a school and the Freedmen's Bureau cannot provide a teacher, Patsy steps in to teach the students to read and write. Patsy's diary is filled with courage, conviction, and hope as she strives toward her freedom.