In 1887, Hannah Coker, the 75 year old grandmother of Eddie, tells her grandson about the harrowing journey she undertook to rescue her gravely wounded son in the middle of the Civil War.
Within hours of receiving a telegram that her eldest son James has fallen on the battlefield, she boards a train in Society Hill, South Carolina, bound for Chattanooga, Tennessee, and travels 500 miles to reach his side and bring him home. She finds him delirious and feverish, but alive, barely surviving amid squalid surroundings in an abandoned farm house. Realizing it is impossible to move him due to the severity of his wounds, she dedicates herself to nursing him back to health in place, although they are only two miles from the enemy lines.
With the help of Sergeant Sam Nettles who has been detailed to assist Hannah with James' care, occasional aid from the Confederate doctors, and a small cache of supplies her husband has brought on a brief visit, she works to establish a care regimen. Her resolve is initially tested by the presence of others who have taken up residency in the house, Mrs. DeCourcey, a madam, and her girls whose activities create a morally ambiguous environment. But her friendship and alliance with other refugees, both black and white, brings balance to life in the house. Then the Confederate and Federal armies open fire and the Battle of Missionary Ridge begins. When it ends, Hannah, James and Sam find themselves twenty miles inside enemy lines.
They are soon discovered by the Union troops, but avoid imprisonment due to Jame's severe injury and Sam's quick thinking. As the weeks pass, the three face dwindling supplies, unwanted visitors, and the harsh realities of life under enemy occupation. Hannah endures contentious encounters with the officious General Whipple and the more compassionate medical director, Dr. Perin, as she seeks necessary help. Her meetings with various union officers reveal the complexities and contradictions of dealing with the occupying wartime bureaucracy.
After five months of uncertainty and hardship, James has recovered sufficiently to travel home, and Hannah seeks permission from the Union army hierarchy, a complicated process. Hannah's determination and persuasive appeals eventually secure the necessary orders to return home to Society Hill, South Carolina. Unfortunately, the fighting between Chattanooga and Atlanta prevents a direct five day return trip through Atlanta, and the orders send them back home via a circuitous route through Nashville, Louisville, Parkersburg, Baltimore, Old Point Comfort and finally, through prisoner exchange, to Richmond.
The return journey consumes four months and is fraught with many delays, potential threats to their freedom, and encounters with Union army officers as well as many civilians, some sympathetic, some hostile. She meets with Jefferson Davis in Richmond. Finally after their long separation and many adventures, Hannah, James and Sam arrive back in Society Hill, greeted by their family, friends and community. The war has irrevocably changed their lives, marked by loss, hardship and the moral complexities of a divided nation.
Throughout her story, Hannah reflects on the changing social landscape of the South, the abolition of slavery and the uncertain future facing her family and community. Her narrative is punctuated with moments of humor, resilience and the enduring strength of family bonds amidst the backdrop of a pivotal moment in American history. The story concludes with Hannah's acceptance of the past and of the consequences of the war and her unwavering faith in the ultimate triumph of good over evil.
