Fourteen-year-old Chris, bitterly hating the Yankees for invading his Tennessee mountain home, learns a difficult lesson about the waste of war and the meaning of tolerance and courage when he reports the approach of a Yankee supply troop to the Confederates, only to learn that his brother is probably part of that troop.

Told in two voices, Jean, a rich girl, and Fritz, an outsider, compete for the affection of handsome newcomer Gil during the summer of 1976 at an exclusive Fire Island enclave, and discover their competition has higher stakes than either can imagine.