"In the summer of 1936, the TVA plans to build a dam in a Tennessee town at the same time a little girl goes missing--possibly stolen by a drifter determined to blow up the dam"--

When the city of Zollicoffer, Tennessee, where her family lives, announces plans to seize their one hundred seventy-five year old house through eminent domain, twelve-year-old Louise Mayhew needs to come up with a way to save it--and her ancestor's CivilWar diary linking the house to the Underground Railroad, as well as a hidden treasure, seem to offer her family the best chance of saving their home.

Newspaper copyboy Victor Vollmer sets out from Memphis to spread the ashes of Mr. Spiro, his friend and mentor, at the mouth of the Mississippi River, and with the help of new friend Philomene he may meet the challenge.

"Sela Gordon, the shy owner of a Tennessee general store, finds safety in solitude. But if anyone can pierce her protective shell it's the handsome, mysterious ex-military man living alone in the wilds of Cove Mountain. For two years, he's kept his distance--until the day he appears to warn her that a catastrophic solar storm capable of taking down the power grid is coming. Now, Sela must find the courage to become the leader Wears Valley needs. Bitter...