The Civil War has ended, but Ellen Slater Reed now has to confront not only the loss of her husband in battle and the challenges of aging but also vast and disturbing changes in the country: the bitter struggle over Reconstruction, including the impeachment of the president; the rise of corporate megaliths; and, most upsetting, the corruption that seems to be seeping into every aspect of American life. In a voice at times reminiscent of Emily Dickinson's, she records in her journal her attempts to overcome the harsh new realities through deep reflection and fostering the many sources of joy and meaning in her life, from quiet moments of beauty and revelation to a relationship that she forms with a younger officer in her husband's regiment. In the end she finds reason to hope that more moral and humane values will ultimately prevail.