Fifteen-year-old Jeanie Reed lives with her family on their plantation in Agatha, Virginia, during the American Civil War. Her father, Confederate sympathizer James Reed, supplies arms to the Southern army. Her family includes her mother, Gloria Reed, and her younger sister, Katherine, known as Kathy.

Jeanie possesses long blonde hair reaching her elbows and blue eyes. She is frequently depicted wearing a headband and holding a white rose, a symbol tied to her femininity.

Initially naive and sheltered, Jeanie holds racist views aligned with her upbringing. Her perspective shifts dramatically upon reuniting with Robert McBee, a childhood friend now serving as a Union Army officer. Their forbidden romance challenges her beliefs, leading Jeanie to question slavery and the Confederate cause. This strains her relationship with her father, despite her enduring devotion to him.

As the war intensifies, Jeanie transforms herself, learning survival tactics and mastering horseback riding to protect others. She flees with Sister Elizabeth and orphaned children through treacherous wilderness, narrowly escaping violence. Confederate soldiers eventually besiege the Reed home. James Reed helps Jeanie escape via a secret passage before committing suicide to avoid capture. In his final moments, experiencing a moral awakening, he urges Jeanie to build "a new America" and gives her a brooch as a keepsake.

The war ends with the Union victorious, but Robert McBee's fate remains unknown. In the final scene, Jeanie waits at a tree marked with their initials "R+J," reflecting her unresolved hope for his return.