Once, Laura Chandler had dazzled all of Washington with her beauty and poise. But with the sudden death of her husband, the great senator Robert Chandler, she changed, afraid to care for anyone or anything. Now, in 1861, as the streets of Richmond are alive with the rumblings of civil war, a daring Yankee has sought Laura out. Chase Girard has been charged with the task of persuading the legendary Southern charmer to spy for the Union. Laura is deeply drawn to the Union cause, but she has two brothers in the Confederate Army. Can she betray them and everyone she holds dear? And can she risk a secret alliance with Chase Girard, who has the power to reawaken her most dangerous longings?