When identical twin brothers, Brian and Brent Sackett, choose to fight on opposite sides during the Civil War, the family is split apart. Because Brent never returns to the family, they assume that he must have been killed during the War. Brian returns to take over the family ranch which is located near Abilene, Texas. A series of events begin to bring the brothers closer and closer to making contact; contact that could be deadly for one or both. This is the first book in a series of stories centering on the family of John and Loretta Sackett, and their sons, Brian and Brent.