In 1912, Eleanor Upjohn sits with her father near the work camp, overseeing the construction of a levee on the Mississippi. In a region shattered by war, levees mean stability, prosperity, and modernity. While Eleanor is a member of a modern clan—practical, impatient, and ready for the future—she cannot help but fall for a man steeped in the ways of the Old South.

Kester Larne is the heir to Ardeith, a sprawling Louisiana plantation whose glory days are long behind it, and his antebellum charm sweeps Eleanor off her feet. Only later does she learn that Ardeith is mortgaged to the hilt and will need every ounce of modern ingenuity to be saved.