In the mid-1800s, Mississippi was one of the richest states in the union, and the wealthy plantations owners enjoyed an opulent life during this golden age of prosperity. The Vine family owned one of these vast plantations. Hundreds of acres of lush cotton plants covered their property, which was home to over 300 slaves. When Evan Vine's father dies suddenly, Evan is summoned home from France to manage Vine Manor: a task that he does not relish. It is only when he meets Mary Elizabeth Cates that his life changes forever. She returns his love and accepts his proposal of marriage. As a wedding gift, he presents her with a magnificent summer home called Magnolia. 

Mary Elizabeth begins the legacy of women who inhabit Magnolia. In this novel, written in a unique style, you will meet and explore the lives of Mary Elizabeth Vine, her daughter; Hallie, and granddaughters; Mary and Lydia. You will meet the prostitutes who come to Magnolia to seek refuge and the slave women who have endured the wrath of their masters. Their compelling story will endear itself to you in the detailed profile of the women. 

Witness the early years when life is good, only to change at a moment's notice by an outbreak of cholera or a slave uprising. There are the middle years when the Civil War tears apart the South leaving tragedy and desolation in its path. Finally...the restoration when everyone attempts to find a new life...a new life at Magnolia.