It is 1862 in the hill country of central Texas, and the Civil War is approaching its second year. When Joshua Danial McDavid, a fifteen-year-old ranch kid, is sent to the city of San Antonio with his cousins and stepbrother, he has no idea he is embarking on the adventure of his lifetime, where he will face hardship and danger, encounter unfamiliar landscapes and cultures, and find the love of his life.