Set against the backdrop of the American South from the 1820s until the dawn of the Civil War, this is a remarkable story of fortitude, heartbreak and indomitable will - and a tale that will forever illuminate the reading of Margaret Mitchell's unforgettable classic, Gone with the Wind. From Ruth's early years as the beautiful young companion to a strong-willed French emigre mistress, to her breief marriage and finally to her life's calling as the wise and devoted caretaker to the women of the Robillard and O'Hara families, Ruth has known days of joy and unspeakable sadness. This is her story.

Author Biography

Donald McCaig is the award-winning author of Canaan as well as Jacob's Ladder, designated "the best Civil War novel ever written" by the Virginia Quarterly. It won the Michael Shaara Award for Excellence in Civil War Fiction and the Library of Virginia Award for Fiction. He was chosen by the Margaret Mitchell estate to write Rhett Butler's People, an authorized sequel to Gone with the Wind. He lives on a sheep farm in the mountains near Williamsville, Virginia, where he writes fiction, essays, and poetry, and trains and trials sheep dogs.