Traitor, outlaw, patriot. Dashing Colton James Greycourt could not deny the vows he made to his friends. The son of the prestigious Virginia Greycourts, he leaves the United States Military Academy at West Point before graduation to fight for "the cause." Appointed captain by the Virginia governor, he joins up with the flamboyant and dynamic cavalry general Jeb Stuart of the First Virginia Cavalry, becoming one of the general's favorites. As a trusted officer, Greycourt becomes a reliable gatherer of vital information prior to the first big confrontation at Manassas Junction. Successfully outwitting and outriding the inept Union horsemen at the outbreak of the war, the First Virginia Calvary establishes itself not only as a major force but also the eyes and ears of the army of Northern Virginia.But he also fights another battle about his confusion as to what "the cause" really is. At odds with his family, he questions their motives and scruples and, most of all, their honor as gentlemen.His journey finds his childhood love, a cellist in the New York Philharmonic, also from a proud Virginia family. His strong camaraderie with his men, especially two fellow captains from very different backgrounds with reasons to fight, leads to conflict and, ultimately, being a wanted man in the South. Fighting treachery on both sides, battling agents threatening to prolong the war. Can his cunning and daring stop all this? What other secrets does he uncover? Who is the most treacherous of them all? Will he face the gallows rope?