Sarah Louisa Wheelock experienced childhood with at once-over Michigan farm with an oppressive, injurious father, a hesitant mother unwilling to secure herself. Her youngsters, a disabled more seasoned sibling, and two sisters, Clarice, who discovered her break in marriage, and coquettish Betsy, who could do no wrong in their dad 's eyes. At sixteen, she yearns for opportunity even as the nation is overwhelmed by the beginnings of the Civil War. Her dad would have her hitched to their shocking neighbor Ezekiel Kunkle, a man twice Sarah 's age. In any case, she has her own arrangements. Sarah doesn 't just flee though she serves her nation, which is a worthy thing to do, don 't worry about it the way that she conflicted with society 's desires