"You don't have to go with Missy Claire. She can't make you go with her."

Kitty, a house slave, has always obeyed Missy Claire and followed orders. But when word arrives that the Yankees are coming, Kitty is faced with a decision. Will she continue serving Missy Claire and her household? Or will she listen to Grady and embrace this chance for freedom?

Even wise Delia says Kitty has to decide for herself—that nobody except the Lord can tell her which way to go.

Kitty has always lived in a world where authority is not questioned. She never has learned to make up her own mind any more than she has learned to read or write.

But now Kitty has a daunting choice: How does she want her story to end?

In her bestselling tradition, Lynn Austin brings the Civil War years to life in the Refiner's Fire trilogy.