Georgia 1864: General Sherman's army marches inexorably from Atlanta to the sea. In its path: the charming old city of Savannah, where the Lester ladies - attractive widow Sara and her feisty twelve-year-old daughter Hattie - struggle to save the family rice plantation. When Sherman offers the conquered city to President Lincoln as 'a Christmas gift,' Hattie and the feared general find themselves on a collision course that will astonish both of them.