This historical novel takes place in 1863 during the Civil War siege of Vicksburg. Thirteen year old Claire Louise moves into a cave with her family and their slaves during the siege. Her physician father is away taking care of Confederate troops. Her brother Landon has just graduated from medical school and he has chosen to serve the Union army. Claire Louise befriends a wounded soldier that Landon brings home. He is a confederate soldier and Landon is bound by duty to report him. The plot centers around this conflict between Claire and her brother. Although this is not Rinaldi's strongest novel, young readers will get a flavor of the strange circumstance in Vicksburg at this time.