In 1912, Eleanor Upjohn sits with her father near the work camp. overseeing the construction of a levee on the Mississippi. In a region shattered by war, levees mean stability, prosperity, and modernity. Kester Larne is the heir to a sprawling Louisiana plantation whose glory days are long behind it. His Southern charm sweeps Eleanor off her feet. Only after they marry does she learn that the plantation is mortgaged to the hilt and she will need every ounce of her ingenuity to save it.