Confederate Civil War Colonel Joe Mattox has an enemy greater than any bluecoat - an anger that drives him to fight both God and man. After he wounds a Union soldier on the battlefield, he delivers the dying man's letter to his wife and son, leading to an uncommon relationship with the slain soldier's family. This friendship leads them to nationally significant events, including a hurricane and assassination attempt on the U.S. President, and a KKK riot in the Midwest, designed to embroil the nation in a second Civil War.