More than a decade before the American Civil War, handsome young Basil Edmunston is exiled to oversee his family's immense farm in the wilds of western North Carolina. Lonely and unsure he is up to the task, the poor boy immediately falls victim to slave vexations and the allure of two mountain belles, Julia and Altha. With twists and turns, Basil resolves the
romantic triangle, manages his responsibilities, and suffers a savage encounter with the despicable antagonist, Sam Beck.